Constructing the memory of Québec residential schools
Is the integration of the history of residential schools into the national collective history more difficult in Québec than elsewhere in Canada? This article focuses on the construction of the memory of Indian residential schools in Quebec, and its transformation into a history that should be both collective and national. Inspired by the works of French intellectuals who have reacted to the memorial laws of their government, my reflection focuses on three phases through which pass historical events to gain wider recognition and enter into a national narrative: the collection of testimonies, the passage from personal narratives to collective memory through commemoration, and the sharing of these commemorations by a wider audience. Noting the current lack of inclusion of the particular history of Indian residential schools in the collective history of Québec, the author analyzes the pitfalls in the reception of this history by Quebeckers, then she suggests approaches to remedying this situation.