Contemporary Quebec and the United States, 1960-1985

Book excerpt: In Contemporary Quebec and the United States, 1960-1985 two leading scholars of Quebec's recent past and future prospects have created the first comprehensive exploration in nearly half a century of Quebec's most important political, economic, and social relations outside of Canada-those with the United States. Drawing on nearly a decade of systematic empirical research from the Quiet Revolution through the departures of Prime Minister Trudeau in 1984 and of the Parti Quebe_ois from power in Quebec in 1985, the authors contend that enduring nationalist sentiment among Quebec's francophones will lead to the resurgence of the movement for independence unless English-speaking Canada accepts wider Quebec autonomy within the Canadian federation. They believe that this nationalism, strongly critical of anglophone Canada but by-and-large favorable to the United States, will become more willing to accept the risks of independence as Quebec's economic and other links with its superpower neighbor continue to grow. This provocative and insightful study will be a standard work for years to come. Co-published with the Harvard Center for International Affairs.