The Same but Different

Hockey in Quebec

Edited by Jason Blake & Andrew C. Holman
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
Hardcover : 9780773550544, 352 pages, August 2017
Paperback : 9780773550551, 352 pages, August 2017
Ebook (PDF) : 9780773550568, August 2017
Ebook (EPUB) : 9780773550575, August 2017

Canada may be all about hockey, but how much does the rest of Canada know about the game in Quebec?

Description

From coast to coast, hockey is played, watched, loved, and detested, but it means something different in Quebec. Although much of English Canada believes that hockey is a fanatically followed social unifier in the French-speaking province, in reality it has always been politicized, divided, and troubled by religion, class, gender, and language. In The Same but Different, writers from inside and outside Quebec assess the game’s history and culture in the province from the nineteenth century to the present. This volume surveys the past and present uses of hockey and how it has been represented in literature, drama, television, and autobiography. While the legendary Montreal Canadiens loom throughout the book’s chapters, the collection also discusses Quebecers’ favourite sport beyond the team’s shadow. Employing a broad range of approaches including study of gender, memory, and culture, the authors examine how hockey has become a lightning rod for discussions about Québécois identity. Hockey reveals much about Quebec and its relationship with the rest of Canada. The Same but Different brings new insights into the celebrated game as a site for community engagement, social conflict, and national expression.

Reviews

“Hockey is so integral to Canadian culture and The Same but Different is an important reference on hockey in Quebec. The authors’ new and original readings of hockey from French and English points of view are original, interesting, and valuable.” Jean Harvey, University of Ottawa

« Si le hockey est à juste titre perçu comme un élément de culture contribuant à la mise en place d'une identité canadienne, The Same But Different réussit à démontrer que le même hockey est aussi le lieu d'une identité québécoise qui diffère à de nombreux égards. Et le grand mérite de cet ouvrage est de permettre à un public anglophone de prendre connaissance de ce fait social à la lecture des dix études qui font de ce livre un incontournable pour quiconque s'intéresse au sport, et plus particulièrement au hockey, en tant qu'élément culturel constitutif des identités tant nationale que sociale. » Revue d'histoire de l'Amérique française

"How does language and culture influence sport’s place and portrayal in a given society? In The Same But Different, the complex topic of hockey’s representation in Quebec is explored over 10 essays, written by Anglo- and French-Canadian authors … This is not a typical bedtime-reading hockey history book, though it will appeal to the academic side of fans." Sal Berry, The Hockey News