ANewfoundland Ethnicity? The Political Implications of Post‐Confederation Nationalism inNewfoundland

Abstract

AbstractEthnicity is very much at the core of the individual and has been known to constitute the basis of nationalisms. Loosely speaking, an ethnic group refers to those who identify with one another through a number of shared characteristics (e.g. culture, language, or religion). Based on this, scholars would agree that most Quebeckers meet the criteria – but what about Newfoundlanders? Does calling oneself a ‘Newfoundlander’ invoke a specific set of linguistic or cultural features that are held to be common? Are Newfoundlanders an ethnic group? If a ‘Newfoundland ethnicity’ exists, could a ‘Newfoundland ethnic identity’ lead to a post‐ConfederationNewfoundland nationalism? In order to address these questions, I use a modified version of what Anthony D. Smith (1986) says constitutes the core of national identity, theethnie, and, to place the analysis in context, I briefly discuss nationalism and ethnicity. Following this, I provide an overview of the origins of aNewfoundland ethnogenesis, a review of key post‐ConfederationNewfoundland ‘nationalist’ events, as well as an analysis of each aspect ofethniefrom aNewfoundland perspective. The article concludes by arguing that while Newfoundlanders can be considered a distinct ethnic group, the likelihood of a post‐ConfederationNewfoundland nationalism emerging is low.