Abstract

Quebec’s mandated high school history course has received much public attention since the reimagining of the curriculum in 2006. In this thesis, I examine the historical contexts and debates surrounding Québec’s mandated history courses published in 1982, 2006 and 2016. I investigate the problems with the 2006 curriculum and conduct a policy analysis of the circumstances for replacing the 2006 curriculum only 10 years after its publication. The 2016 curriculum is based on the recommendations of a public consultation by Beauchemin and Fahmy-Eid (2014). A policy analysis of these recommendations reveal that Beauchemin and Fahmy-Eid tightly controlled text and discourse in favour of a national historical narrative. Consequently, the Beauchemin and Fahmy-Eid report (2014) limits Quebec’s minority and marginalized communities from connecting to or being validated by history. The 2016 version of the curriculum has come under scrutiny for overemphasising the historical contributions of one nation through a unique Québec lens (Bradley & Allison, 2021). The phenomenological portion of my thesis shows that teachers of English-speaking students in Québec are aware that the 2016 curriculum does not validate minority and marginalized communities and accommodate the curriculum by delivering the material in ways that undermine the nationalistic and civic aspects of the curriculum and encourage students to reflect on their place and that of others in Québec’s social culture.