French Canadian

French Canadians (French Canadiens français ) refers to a historical collective. As Canadiens français, the francophone population designated in Quebec, Ontario and the western provinces of Canada (see Francophone Canadian) in about the middle of the 19th century until the seventies of the 20th century.

The French settlers who settled in the St. Lawrence River Valley in the 17th century, initially identified themselves as Canadians (French Canadiens ), in contrast to the French, who worked in the colonial administration and in the French army. As more and more English came in 1763 after the conquest of New France by England to Canada (see Canadian history ) and gradually also the name Canadians took for himself the francophone population began to call themselves French Canadians. The identity as a French Canadian was closely linked to membership in the Catholic faith. You should also given the English rule express the tie to metropolitan France.

The Quiet Revolution in Quebec led to a new, positive identity as occupied Quebec (French Québécois ) and an emancipation from metropolitan France, so that the term French Canadian is there now uncommon as a self-designation. The Francophone population of Québec sees itself as Quebec and / or as Canadians. Also in the other Canadian provinces, the self-designation of French Canadians is now uncommon, the Francophone populations there see themselves as Franco - Ontarians, Franco - Manitobaner, etc., or as Canadians.

In German the term Canadiens français was often translated as " French Canadians ". Sometimes German sources speak simply of French or Canadian French, if they want to highlight the differences to the anglophone Canadians. Stefan Zweig writes in "When the French in Canada ": The intransigence of Catholicism - and then the famous ( ... ) Children's wealth of Canadian French have here a bulwark erected, which is a monument of national power has no equal in our days ( on travel, p 129). Such expressions can be found today in newspaper articles and guidebooks.

In the Anglophone population of French Canadian expression or even French is still used often, the Anglophone Canadian media and politically reflected anglophone Canadians, however, use the term today Francophone or province names.