Description
Book SynopsisIn the 1970s, Hydro-Québec declared in a publicity campaign We Are Hydro-Québécois. The slogan symbolized the extent to which hydroelectric development in the North had come to both reflect and fuel French Canada's aspirations. The slogan helped Quebecers relate to the province's northern territory and to accept the exploitation of its resources.
In Power from the North, Caroline Desbiens explores how this culture of hydroelectricity helped shape the landscape during the first phase of the James Bay hydroelectric project. Policy makers and citizens did not, she argues, view those who built the dams as mere workers they saw them as pioneers in a previously uninhabited land now inscribed with the codes of culture and spectacle. This insightful work shows that if Quebec hopes to engage in truly sustainable resource development, all actors must bring an awareness of their cultural histories and visions of nature, North, and nation to the negotiating table.
Trade ReviewCaroline Desbiens explores the nexus of hydroelectricity, Québécois identity, and the cultural narratives that are used by southern Québécois to justify resource development in the northern regions of the province. The result is a wonderfully personal and critical reflection on the culture of hydroelectricity in Québec and “the importance of reading economic development through a cultural lens.” [It] is an excellent new contribution to the Nature|History|Society series from UBC Press. It connects beautifully with the other books in the series and will compliment work on the ways in which people conceptualize and transform the north through material, and particularly discursive, formations.
-- Morgan Moffitt, Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta * Journal of Polar Record *
Table of ContentsForeword: Ideas of North / Graeme Wynn
Introduction: Looking North
Part 1: Power and the North
1 The Nexus of Hydroelectricity in Quebec
2 Discovering a New World: James Bay as Eeyou Istchee
Part 2: Writing the Land
3 Who Shall Convert the Wilderness into a Flourishing Country?
4 From the Roman de la Terre to the Roman des Ressources
Part 3: Rewriting the Land
5 Pioneers
6 Workers
7 Spectators
Conclusion: Ongoing Stories and Powers from the North
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
