Quebec interculturalism versus Latino-Québécois art: Learning to Listen

Abstract

The starting point of this paper is the hypothesis according to which a counterpoint between Quebecer sociologist Gérard Bouchard’s interculturalist discourse and the work and testimonies of two Latino-Québécois artists, Dany Laferrière and Helena Martín Franco, provides the opportunity of building a critical perspective on the so-called ethnocultural diversity management model operating in Quebec. To explore this potential, the author proposes a methodology named “dissonant counterpoint”, which, through the contrast between the works of Dany Laferrière and Helena Martín Franco and the interculturalist discourse, allows to build a critical perspective on this management model. Such perspective is based on three elements: distorted communication, the definition of the notion of “values” and the definition of the notion of “integration”.