The Mission of Quebec Ultramontanism: A Luhmannian Perspective

Abstract

This article applies aspects of Niklas Luhmann's theory of society to 19th century Quebec ultramontanism. Luhmann analyzes the difference between pre-modern and modern societies in terms of a shift from a dominance of stratified differentiation to a dominance of functional differentiation. It is shown that the Quebec ultramontane view of society is consistent with the former but not the latter. Accordingly, the ultramontane idea that French Canadian society has an overall mission reflects an organizational and unified conception of society that seeks to subordinate all other functional selection criteria to those proper to the family and religion. This attitude is analyzed in Luhmannian terms as the preservation of French Canadians as an implicit stratum. Correspondingly, increasing dominance of functional differentiation is interpreted by the Quebec ultramontanes as a feature of the English-speaking societies around them. Preserving stratified features and combating functional differentiation is therefore seen as tantamount to preventing assimilation by these societies. The superimposition of pre-modern/modern in Luhmannian terms on French/English is seen as the key to understanding the mission of Quebec ultramontanism.