The Study of Regional Inequality in Quebec and English Canada: A Comparative Analysis of Perspectives

• Published in: Canadian journal of sociology 1999-10, Vol.24 (4), p.457-484
• Main Author: Southcott, Chris
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agency; Canada; Capitalism; Dependency theory; Geographic regions; History and organization of sociology; History, theory and methodology; Human ecology; Income Inequality; Inequality; Organization of profession, research and teaching. Deontology. Sociology of sociology. Epistemology; Political anthropology; Political economy; Quebec; R&D; Regional development; Regional Differences; Regional disparities; Regional economic development; Regional inequalities; Regional planning; Regional variation; Regionalism; Research & development; Social economics; Social Inequality; Social research; Social theories; Socioeconomics; Sociological aspects; Sociological Research; Sociological Theory; Sociology; Structural analysis
• ISSN: 0318-6431; 1710-1123
• DOI: 10.2307/3341787

The question of regional inequality has been a central concern of both Anglo-Canadian sociology and Franco-Québécois sociology since the 1960's. Starting in the 1980s, the study of regional inequality became less popular in Anglo-Canadian sociology. In Quebec, however, the interest in regional phenomena has continued to grow. This article attempts to explain the seeming diverging sense of importance given to the region in the two main discourses of Canadian sociology. We can discern two main hypotheses that try to explain these differences. The first relates to the differing importance each group places on agency and structure. The second hypothesis concerns the definition of region. In this article we discuss the relative explanatory value of each of these hypotheses. We show that both of these explanation are useful. /// Depuis les années soixante, la question de l'inégalité régionale était importante pour les sociologues Anglo-Canadiens et les sociologues Franco-Québecois. Pendant les années quatre-vingts, l'intérêt des Anglo-canadiens dans le phénomène a diminué tandis que l'intérêt des Franco-Québecois a continué à accroître. Cet article tente à expliquer la divergence entre les deux groupes en ce qui concerne la région. Nous discutons deux hypothèses principales pour expliquer cette divergence. La première parle de la différence entre les deux groupes en ce qui concerne l'importance de l'acteur. La deuxième note que la définition de région diffère entre les deux groupes. Nous démontrons l'importance de ces deux facteurs pour expliquer la divergence sur la question d'inégalité régionale.