Whose Francophone Perspectives? The History, Meanings, Implementation and Legitimacy of an Alberta Social Studies Curriculum Mandate

Abstract

This thesis, through four articles, investigates the history, meanings, legitimacy and implementation of a curriculum mandate to value Francophone perspectives from kindergarten to Grade 12 in Alberta social studies classrooms. These four articles are a response to my encounter (den Heyer, 2009) with this government mandate, which disrupted my socialization as a Québécois Francophone taught to see Albertans as hostile toward French-speakers. Preliminary research revealed that the curriculum mandate provoked uncertainty and frustration amongst many Alberta social studies teachers who had not previously been asked to attend to Francophone perspectives and/or who were used to associating these perspectives with Québec, not Alberta (Gani & Scott, 2017). To deepen these preliminary insights, I conducted a historical examination of the curriculum mandate (Article 1), a secondary data analysis of research with teachers about the mandate (Article 2), a qualitative inquiry into the reported implementation practices of 19 Alberta social studies teachers (Article 3), and I gathered responses from 13 Franco-Albertans to often-used critiques about the mandate (e.g., why these perspectives and not others?) (Article 4). Various iterations of the social studies curriculum mandate published since 1999 (Article 1) and the 13 Francophone participants in my research (Article 4) focused on Francophone perspectives as represented through the metaphor of a Canadian pillar. Per contrast, many Alberta social studies teachers recognized Francophone perspectives as situated in Québec and one among many in Alberta (Article 2 & 3). In line with a reciprocal conception of recognition - that is, the fundamental need to be accepted by others (Taylor, 1994) - the way forward for the mandate, which will soon be included in six subject-matters (Alberta Education, 2020), is to take into account not only Francophone perspectives but also the unnamed and derecognized Alberta (Anglophone) perspectives that shape the ways in which they are interpreted and implemented.