The struggle for self-determination : a comparative study of ethnicity and nationalism among the Quebecois and the Afrikaners

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis examines the structural factors that precipitate the emergence of ethnicityand nationalism, with a special emphasis on ethno-Iinguistic identity. Nationalistmomentum leading to self-determination is also addressed. A historical comparativestudy of the Quebecois of Canada and the Afrikaners of South Africa is presented.The ancestors of both the Quebecois and the Afrikaners left Europe (France and theNetherlands, respectively) to establish a new colony. Having disassociatedthemselves from their European homeland, they each developed a new, morerelevant identity for themselves, one which was also vis-a-vis the indigenouspopulation. Both cultures were marked by a rural agrarian existence, a high degree ofreligiosity, and a high level of Church involvement in the state. Then both wereconquered by the British and expected to conform to the English-speaking order.This double-layer of colonialism proved to be a significant contributing factor to theethnic identity and consciousness of the Quebecois and the Afrikaners, as theyperceived a threat to their language and their cultural institutions. Nationalistmovements provided a forum for the expression of their ethnic identity and demandsfor autonomy. However, as the Afrikaners' political realm encompassed all of SouthAfrica, and the Quebecois' was limited to the province of Quebec, their strategies forself-preservation deviated upon assuming political power. Presently, Afrikanernationalism is reduced to a small fragment aspiring to separatism in the form of avolkstaat. Quebecois nationalism, though, is still very strong with a separatist partystill in power.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University