Challenges of a Secular Quebec

Lucia Ferretti is a professor in the Department of Humanities at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières and a specialist in socio-religious history. She is the author of numerous books, among them L'Action nationale: Le long combat pour le Québec, which covers more than a hundred years of Quebec nationalism. François Rocher is a professor in the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa, where he has held the Jean-Luc Pepin Research Chair. He is a recipient of the Société Québécoise de science politique (SQSP) Prix d'excellence in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the advancement of political science.George Tombs is a translator, author, and filmmaker living in Quebec City. He has a PhD in the History and Philosophy of Science from McGill University and has won thirty-two awards worldwide for his university research, journalism, and creative works. He has been a finalist for the Governor General's Award for Translation and works in English and French interchangeably. Contributors: Normand Baillargeon, Marc Chevrier, Yasmina Chouakri, Charles-Étienne Gill, Micheline Labelle, Julie Latour, Roberto Perin, Guillaume Rousseau, Paul Sabourin, Patrick Taillon, Daniel Turp

• Foreword / Roberto PerinIntroduction / Lucia Ferretti and François RocherPart 1: Things in Perspective1 Putting Things in Perspective: The Many Varieties of Secularism / François Rocher2 Beyond Defending Religious Symbols: The Desire to Put Quebec In Its Place / Lucia FerrettiPart 2: Historical and Sociological Perspectives3 Quebec: Under the Rule of its Two Cities / Marc Chevrier4 The Difficult Search for a Quebec Model of Laicity / Micheline Labelle5 Some Muslim Quebec Women and Men Are in Favour of Bill 21 / Yasmina ChouakriPart 3: Legal Perspectives6 The Laicity of the State: The Cornerstone of Individual Civil and Political Rights / Julie Latour7 Arguments Relating to the Unconstitutionality of the Act Respecting the Laicity of the State: A Massive Rebuttal / Daniel Turp8 Rights Guaranteed Equally to Both Sexes, the Notwithstanding Clause, and the Act Respecting the Laicity of the State: Overview and Contribution to the Debate from a Quebec Perspective / Guillaume Rousseau9 Laicity in the Light of Institutional Dialogue in Canada / Patrick TaillonPart 4: Educational Perspectives10 The Medium is the Message: There's No Point Cluttering Educational Communication / Charles-Étienne Gill11 Thinking About Laicity Today with Ferdinand Buisson / Normand Baillargeon12 Secularism and the Symbolic: The Quebec School as a Place of Immanent Knowledge / Paul SabourinConclusion: The Fate Of Bill 21 in the Courts and in Public Opinion in English Canada / Lucia Ferretti and François RocherList of Contributors; Index