This study examines the role of religion in the nationalist thought of Lionel Groulx (1878-1967). It attempts to demonstrate that Groulx's understanding of the Incarnation constitutes a paradigm whereby he developed a rationale for the synthesis of Catholicism and French-Canadian nationalism. Chapter 1, the Historical Background, precedes an examination of Groulx's thought in the light of his theological and philosophical education.(Chapter 2) Chapters 3 and 4 explain his construct of the Incarnation. Chapter 5 sets forth Groulx's conception of French Canada based on the Hebrew scriptures. Chapters 6 explores the implications of his incarnational thought for his nationalist pursuits. Chapter 7 summarizes the pivotal idea of "The Primacy of the Spiritual in the Nation," while Chapter 8 sheds light on Groulx's critical, if not negative understanding of Catholic Action. The conclusion reflects on the turn of events in French Canada which evolved so contrary to his aspirations. Despite his myriad activities, prodigious body of work, and such a long, varied career, Groulx remains an enigma primarily due to his transitional role between old religio-nationalist French Canada and secular, contemporary nationalist Quebec. The apologetic intent of his work compounds this enigma since Groulx thereby attempted to apply the conservative social doctrines and praxis of conventional Catholicism to the rapidly changing context of modern, increasingly nationalist Quebec. His thought, therefore, possesses many facets and eludes facile definition. Due to their segregated analyses of Groulx's thought, previous historical, political and ideological studies remain insufficient because they represent largely secular, anachronistic, specifically post-'Quiet Revolution' approaches that truncate the role of religion in the world view of a Catholic priest in French Canada at the turn of the twentieth century. These analyses do not sufficiently take into account the theological principles which shaped his nationalist thought. Writing as editor-in-chief of Le Devoir the day after Groulx died, Claude Ryan declared Groulx "the spiritual father of modern Quebec." However, this assessment largely stands or falls on the place of the 'spiritual' vis-a-vis the 'secular' in Groulx's thought, for the reversal of their respective importance in French-Canadian society announced the advent of modernity in Quebec. In fact, the contemporary debate concerning the proper roles and relationship of the secular and the spiritual in twentieth-century Quebec gave rise to Groulx's apologetic. This study seeks therefore to examine the spiritual and the temporal in Groulx's thought, and how he related the two so that we may come to a better understanding of Groulx's contribution to modern Quebec.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.19475 |
| Date | January 2002 |
| Creators | Cornett, Norman F. |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Faculty of Religious Studies) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 002021032, Theses scanned by McGill Library. |
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