Opération Amérique: Québec's Soft Power Applied to French Language Teaching in the United States

Opération Amérique refers to the coordinated efforts of René Lévesque's Parti Québécois government beginning late 1970s to promote Québec's interests in the United States. The general goals and strategies of Opération Amérique suggest that it presents a case of soft power. However, the spe...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inThe American review of Canadian studies Vol. 49; no. 3; pp. 413 - 427
Main Authors Couture Gagnon, Alexandre, Chapelle, Carol A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington Routledge 03.07.2019
Taylor & Francis Inc
Subjects
Foreign language instruction
Foreign policy
French as a second language
French language
History
Language instruction
Language teaching methods
Language textbooks
Objectives
Perceptions
Provincial government
Québec-United States relations
Soft power
Strategies
Teaching
Textbooks
Canada
United States > US
Quebec Canada
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Opération Amérique refers to the coordinated efforts of René Lévesque's Parti Québécois government beginning late 1970s to promote Québec's interests in the United States. The general goals and strategies of Opération Amérique suggest that it presents a case of soft power. However, the specific actions implemented as well as their effects have barely been explored. An analysis of original documents pertaining to Opération Amérique indicates that specific groups in the United States-namely, French professors-were targeted with the hope that they would improve perceptions of Québec in the United States. An examination of French textbooks used in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s shows an increase in Canada/Québec content, which may reflect the influence of Opération Amérique on French teaching practices.
ISSN:0272-2011
1943-9954
DOI:10.1080/02722011.2019.1650785