Québec\u27s Cultural Policy in the United States: From Diplomacy to Industries

Abstract

The Québec state apparatus, which developed most fully starting in the 1960s, initially focused the objectives of Québec\u27s cultural policy in the United States on the promotion of nationalism and the building of a national identity. Following the 1990s recessions, the Québec government adjusted its policies to partly focus its cultural policy on the marketing of cultural industries. Cultural industries have increasingly been promoted as helping build the national identity while providing jobs and contributing to Québec\u27s GDP. Today, the Québec government\u27s main objective in the United States is promoting and securing business opportunities. It explicitly pursues its cultural policy in the United States with this objective at the forefront. This paper seeks to answer the following question: How has the Québec government\u27s cultural policy in the United States evolved since the 1960s? Overall, there has been a notable shift in Québec\u27s cultural policy in the United States. It has become mainly pragmatic or utilitarian, serving as tool to advance economic benefits for the province. Using original archival research, government documentation, and academic literature, this chapter chronicles this shift that has taken place in the 1990s, while further discussing the implications of a utilitarian cultural policy in the long run