A Short History of Quebec

by John Alexander Dickinson, Brian J. Young

Book by Dickinson, John A., Young, Brian

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Canada, School

388 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Beth]

This is a whirlwind of a book - it has to be, to cover Québec history from pre-contact to the early 2000s. In addition, this is not just a dates-and-battles sort of a book; it consistently covers native people, women, culture, government, demography, labour, politics, the economy, industry, and agriculture. And all within 436 pages, all in, including charts and photographs, Further Reading lists after each chapter, an extensive bibliography, and a thorough index.

Sure, it can be daunting, and certainly, some coverage seems scant, and some terms and concepts left undefined, but, given the length of the book and the depth and complexity of the subject, I think this books does a fine job of acting as an introductory course. I read it in preparation for my sister's and my upcoming Road Scholar tour of Montréal and Québec City (it was recommended to be read pre-tour), and I 'm pleased with how it has prepared me.

[Andrés]

Overall, a poor work of history. The conclusions to each chapter should be singled out for their lack of quality. The writing is very plodding and thoughts expressed are rarely original. Their view of things seems to be a watered down Marxism with plaintive references to the proletariat but without much information to back up their interpretation. On occasion it gives a good sense of the common man's life, but even this, surprisingly, is not done well that often.

[Anastasia]

Being a fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race, I got used to use the word “drag” only in a positive sense. Now I break my rule and exclaim: “What a drag of a book!”

The book was supposed to provide an overview of the history of Quebec. The result is, however, is chronologically torn and jumpy account of events with lots of charts and stats that could have easily been put in a sentence.
An unusual – and unnecessary—focus on a particular socially underrepresented group – women – suggested the author’s initial attempt was to produce a work of a history of Quebec from a feminist perspective. Why the authors used limited space to address women’s’ rights after the WWII rather than to focus on the social and economic development on Quebec, which has a direct and much more powerful repercussions for the province’s today’s history, is beyond me.
The books only touches upon major events/ declarations of accord and documents, assuming a reader has a preliminary knowledge of Canadian history. Sometimes it would list landmark events in the province history in one sentence, bundling them as “crucial events”. Go figure what’s important.

The book stays objective in its narration, which is important for the topic as sensitive as an account of Quebec history into a wider Canadian perspective. That, and bibliography are the only decent features of the book.

[John]

This isn't the best textbook-style history of Quebec (I hope!). The structure is confusing, and it isn't strictly in chronological order...I mean, it sort of is, but then the next chapter will double back a few decades, and overlap with the previous chapter in weird ways. It would be better if the intros and conclusions to the chapters were longer and more comprehensive. They do not clarify well.
So I read a few chapters in the middle that overlapped with my timeframe, and I thought I was done. However, I can't return this to the library because the little bibiographic sections at the ends of the chapters are too useful. I can find all kinds of more helpful books through those sections. So maybe this is good as a reference. I can't see myself using it in a class, even if the class was just Quebec history. There's got to be a better one.

[Johnny Renton]

The only reason this book doesn't get more than three stars is because it was originally published in 1988 and misses out on some of the more contemporary developments in the province, as well as being very light on indigenous and immigrant points of view.

This is still an okay place to start if you want to learn more about the province's history. It serves as a good background if you are looking to dig deeper into specific topics, such as the October Crisis or separatism.

Pairs well with Molson Dry and a Joe Louis.

[Raynald Provost]

Pas pour les débutants, il n'y a pas beaucoup d'explications ni de disgressions. Le style est fluide, j'ai lu ce livre pratiquement comme un roman. C'est tellement écrit serré que cela nous donne l'impression que l'histoire est une suite logique et inéluctable d'évènements. Et plutôt déprimant le bilan qu'on en déduit de la situation du Québec.

[Norman Smith]

This is essentially a high school, or first year university, text for non-Quebec students. There are copious "Further reading" sections, and citations galore throughout the text.

That said, it is pretty easy to read, well-written, and well-illustrated with figures and tables. For those who want a really good survey of Quebec history, this would be hard to beat.

[Mike]

Interesting historical narrative on Quebec Province…
Read in preparation of upcoming trip there…..

First published 29 years ago, and updates for the last thirty years are not here……. Historical perspective is good…..

[Jeanne]

Good introduction and broad general overview of Quebec Providence history. The book ‘ends’ in 1992…so further reading needed!

Read in preparation for upcoming trip to Quebec.

[Cmrhudy]

Very dense information, but quite readable! Also helpful during recent trip to Quebec.

[Diana Benford]

tu es vite sur ses patins !

[Iñaki Tofiño]

History of Quebec, mostly from an economic point of view, so not very appealing to cultural historians like me. In any case, well researched and well written.

[Alex Hubert]

Hell yeahhhh, school books.

My Prof assigned it for the first couple weeks for context in my class and it was good for that.

[Anne]

Entirely different than other history books that I have read. Some very interesting concept. Numerous references ad the end of each chapter to be able to go and explore specific topics. I would like to read a similar book from another point of view.

[Keir Anderson]

Focuses on culture, but an interesting addition

A fairly good summary, with a focus on society and culture, but not so much a detailed history.

It could have been longer, but it does offer a unique perspective by focusing more on day to day life.