The Fransaskois’ Journey from Survival to Empowerment through Governance

This article considers how governance can transform relationships of power between Francophone minority communities and the state through a case study of the Fransaskois. Using a multi-methods framework that combines historical institutionalism and empowerment theory, this study draws attention to the transformative and constitutive power of governance in shaping relationships between Francophone communities and the state. By examining how the Fransaskois claim power from above and build power from below through governance, the study posits governance as a tool for the collective empowerment of Francophone minority communities in their quest to faire communauté. In so doing, it draws attention to the Fransaskois as active agents in generating gradual change through ongoing struggles within and over institutional arrangements

Comment faire communauté autrement au sein de l’État anglodominant canadien ? Le cas des Fransaskois

Éparpillés sur un vaste territoire majoritairement anglophone, les Fransaskois partagent un désir de « faire communauté », c’est-à-dire de vivre une vie pleine en français aux côtés de leurs voisins anglophones. Comment cette « petite » communauté envisage-t-elle de faire communauté au sein de l’État anglodominant canadien ? À partir d’une analyse qualitative de discours, ce texte cherche à définir les aspirations politiques des Fransaskois. L’analyse révèle une volonté persistante de renverser le rapport de domination entre la communauté fransaskoise et l’État. Le désir des Fransaskois d’exercer un contrôle sur leur destinée s’exprime non seulement par la réorientation des revendications politiques de leurs leaders, mais aussi par la restructuration périodique de leurs structures et processus de gouvernance.Dispersed across a majoritarian anglophone territory, the Fransaskois share a desire to “faire communauté,” that is to live a full life in French amongst their anglophone neighbours. How does this small community contemplate such a life within an anglodominant Canadian state? Based on a qualitative discourse analysis, this article seeks to identify the political aspirations of the Fransaskois. The analysis reveals a persistent desire to reverse the Fransaskois’ position of domination vis-à-vis the state. The Fransaskois’ desire to exercise control over their destiny is expressed through the political demands of their leaders, but it also takes shape through the periodic transformation of their governance structures and processes

“We are all Treaty People” : Assessing the Gap between the Dream and the Reality of Treaty-Based Governance in Saskatchewan

In 1996, the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, the Government of Canada and the Government of Saskatchewan embarked on an ambitious project: they wanted to abandon the colonial legacy of the Indian Act and instead develop a governance framework based on partnerships between self-determining nations. Grounding negotiations in treaties, this “made in Saskatchewan” solution proposed to develop a province-wide system of First Nation governance representing over 115,000 members and seventy communities. Despite efforts to build a novel treaty-based governance framework, negotiations eventually failed. In assessing the gap between the dream and the reality of treaty-based governance in Saskatchewan, this article argues that the failure of the “made in Saskatchewan” solution lies in the parties’ inability to break away from Canada’s colonial path and fully embrace the reality that “we are all treaty people.”En 1996, la Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, le gouvernement du Canada et le gouvernement de la Saskatchewan ont entrepris un projet ambitieux : abandonner l’héritage colonial de la Loi sur les Indiens et développer un cadre de gouvernance fondé sur des partenariats entre nations autonomes. En s’inspirant de l’esprit des traités, les partis ont tenté de négocier un système de gouvernance autochtone représentant plus de 115 000 membres et soixante-dix communautés sur l’ensemble de la province. Cet article se penche sur l’échec de ce projet et l’écart entre le rêve et la réalité d’une gouvernance fondée sur les traités. À partir d’une analyse des négociations en Saskatchewan, il révèle que, malgré les efforts d’établir un nouveau cadre de gouvernance, les partis n’ont pas pu se départir de la logique institutionnelle du colonialisme qui gouverne la relation entre l’État et les peuples autochtones

Beyond Territory: Revisiting the Normative Justification of Self-Government in Theory and Practice

The association of sovereignty with control over territory is being challenged both internally and externally in modern societies. Demands for political autonomy from sub-state minorities undermine the natural link between nation, state and territory from within, while the movement of capital, goods and information across borders contests the relationship between these concepts from without. Scholars of international relations, law, philosophy and political science have already suggested that the sovereignty of nation-states is under attack; however, scant attention has been paid to the way in which changes in the relation between nation, state, and territory affect the normative weight associated with each of these concepts in discussions about sovereignty and self-government. The objectives of this article is to examine the way in which nation, state, sovereignty, and territory are addressed in normative justifications of indigenous self-government and to better understand how these notions are being treated in its implementation

Just Do It! Self-Determination for Complex Minorities

This thesis explores how Indigenous and linguistic communities achieve self-determination without fixed cultural and territorial boundaries. An examination of the governance practices of Métis, Francophones and First Nations in Saskatchewan reveals that these communities use innovative membership and participation rules in lieu of territorial and cultural criteria to delineate the boundaries within which to exercise political power. These practices have allowed territorially dispersed communities to build institutions, adopt laws and deliver services through province-wide governance structures. In addition to providing an empirical basis to support non-territorial models of self-determination, this study offers a new approach to governance that challenges state-centric theories of minority rights by focusing on the transformative power communities generate through stories and actions.Ph

L’union fait la force : l’agencéité et les pratiques d’inclusion des mouvements de résistance patriote (1837) et métis (1869)

Cet article cherche à mieux comprendre comment les pratiques d’inclusion peuvent contribuer à favoriser l’agencéité des communautés en situation minoritaire, c’est-à-dire leur capacité à réaliser leurs projets collectifs. Notre analyse des mouvements de résistance patriote (1837) et métis (1869) révèle que les pratiques d’inclusion des leaders de ces mouvements, qui passaient principalement par la formation d’alliances avec d’autres groupes de la société, doivent compter au nombre des facteurs qui ont contribué à l’avancement de leurs projets politiques. L’inclusion s’impose ainsi comme un outil politique qui peut être mobilisé par les communautés en situation minoritaire pour élargir leur base de pouvoir vis-à-vis de l’État.This article seeks to better understand how practices of inclusion can contribute to enhancing the agency of minority communities, in other words their ability to fulfill their collective goals. Our historical-political analysis of the resistance movements of the Patriots in 1837 and the Métis in 1869 reveals that the establishment of alliances with other groups are factors that contributed to the advancement of their political projects. Inclusion is thus a political tool that can be mobilized by minority communities to build a broader base of power vis-à-vis the State

Just Do It! Self-Determination for Complex Minorities

This thesis explores how Indigenous and linguistic communities achieve self-determination without fixed cultural and territorial boundaries. An examination of the governance practices of Métis, Francophones and First Nations in Saskatchewan reveals that these communities use innovative membership and participation rules in lieu of territorial and cultural criteria to delineate the boundaries within which to exercise political power. These practices have allowed territorially dispersed communities to build institutions, adopt laws and deliver services through province-wide governance structures. In addition to providing an empirical basis to support non-territorial models of self-determination, this study offers a new approach to governance that challenges state-centric theories of minority rights by focusing on the transformative power communities generate through stories and actions.Ph

L’état des connaissances sur la Fransaskoisie : une analyse de la recherche produite entre 1960 et 2018

Cet article révèle la présence d’une recherche engagée dans le contexte fransaskois. À partir d’une analyse des études consacrées à cette communauté, les auteurs dégagent les principaux courants thématiques et méthodologiques qui ont marqué la recherche sur les Fransaskois depuis les années 1960. Ils mettent en lumière la longue histoire de partenariats entre l’université et la communauté et analysent le rôle des réseaux universitaires et des groupes de recherche dans la production des savoirs. Enfin, l’article rend compte de l’effet de la recherche sur la capacité d’agir de la communauté fransaskoise.This article exposes the long history of engaged research in the Fransaskois context. Based on an analysis of the literature related to this community, the article identifies the main thematic and methodological trends that have marked research on the Fransaskois since the 1960s. It highlights established university-community partnerships and analyzes the role of networks and research units in the production of knowledge. Finally, the article assesses the impact of research on the empowerment of the Fransaskois community