'Lucky to be so bilingual': Québécois and Chicano/a literatures in a comparative context

Abstract

Chicano/a and Québécois literatures, both 'borderland' phenomena, share many signal features. This article advocates for increased comparative study of these two cultures, and outlines fundamental points for consideration. Perhaps most important is the common history shared by both Chicano/as and Québécois, who lost majority status during the colonial era and became minority cultures, politically and culturally dominated by Anglophone populations. In both cases, resistance to this domination emphasized both religious and linguistic difference, valorizing the Catholic faith and 'non-standard' forms of French and Spanish, in the face of considerable prejudice and discrimination. These forms of resistance have had their own outcomes: Catholicism's often rigid definition of gender roles has inspired a contestatory literary tradition with significant participation from gay and lesbian writers. These writers, including Gloria Anzaldúa and Susanne de Lotbinière-Harwood, are among those whose hybrid work features the code-switching and questioning of categories and loyalties characteristic of borderland literature.