Emeritus anthropologist, known for its ability to deal with the aplomb of a specialist everyone (or almost) countless fields of social and cultural anthropology, Eric Schwimmer here makes a comparative study of different countries facing (once or ) colonial minorization Netherlands, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Quebec. The syndrome was written prior to the 1995 referendum, as a contribution to the clarification of our future-national and positions that have historically built to assume (or rather the fight and swallow): ( 1) denigration of this becoming and promote assimilation into an English-speaking pan-Canadian identity (Durham, Trudeau Marchand, Pelletier, Desmarais); (2) negotiation of equals Quebec and ROC to ensure its recognition distinct nation within the 1982 Constitution (Henri Bourassa, Jean Allaire, Mario Dumont once); (3) soft sovereignism, leveraging an assumption of conditional independence for the establishment of a trade and political agreement with Canada (René Lévesque, Pierre-Marc Johnson, Lucien Bouchard - at one time ...) (4) the hard sovereignism, relying on a unilateral declaration of independence made by a sovereign State by referendum acceptance of a declaration of independence (Parizeau).
Scwhimmer has direct experience, firsthand, of every context to be compared. In Quebec, the land held in Mauricie consists of over fifteen interviews two hours; which illustrate the trends 2-3-4 in their specificity and in their confusion, and come in particular illustrate a specificity of Quebec politics which holds in its almost intimate proximity to the imaging family (divorce amicably, the good father, etc.).
Reconciliations of each country and contrasts with the situation in Quebec relate to the relationship it established between majority culture, national minorities (Anglophones in Quebec and the Native Americans, Native Americans and Quebec in Canada ...) and ethnic minorities (d recent immigration). They also concern the choices that are played out between nationalism sectoral or global nationalism: the first consisting of national affirmation within separate policy areas, traded to the room with the central government; the second in attainment of national independence. These choices reflect and fit within the tolerance cycles / repression established between conquerors and conquered, and are shaped by the importance of these cycles: tolerance of colonialism or imperialism is boasting let live people conquered in their tradition, but blocking, suppressing or denigrating incompatible development with the preservation of political and economic privileges of the dominant.
With that being demographic power and strength in numbers, conquest establishes a hierarchical power. By minorization, imitation conqueror lifestyle (language, religion, way of doing commercially) becomes a condition of access to success and valued property; while behind the screen of a tolerant acceptance, the maintenance of cultural identity is subject to asphyxia (underemployment, poverty).
Specificity of Quebec, teaches us Schwimmer held in agreement with the British clergy to perfect the minority status in the absence of a French aristocracy to which dangled the benefits of its a-culturing (imitation or emulation).
With hindsight and the passage of time (18 years have passed since the writing), we are better able to discern taken over by representatives of the business community (orating in newspapers and newscasts) to replace the clergy in this task.
A chapter is devoted to each of the three countries, before dedicating the central part in the review of the positions mentioned in relation to becoming Québec national. Schwimmer are reported, sometimes a review of reports and commissions surrounding the preparation of the 1980 referendums, 1990 (Meech Lake), and 1995; sometimes authorized by observations of the materials gathered through interview in Mauricie.
I consider The syndrome presents a valuable contribution of anthropology at the difficult and ambivalent evolution of a society faced, like others, to minorization and affirmation vibrations / bashing that its history has to re- establish internal.
