La ville au coeur de la nation: l’utilisation du passé dans l’é1aboration de l’identité urbaine

 Harold Bérubé

The commemorative ceremonies surrounding the 100th anniversary of Toronto’s incorporation in 1934 and the tercentenary of Montreal’s foundation in 1942 were opportune moments to produce discourses which underline the importance of the urban experience in the creation and transformation of national identities during the 20th century. A rabbi, Maurice N. Eisendrath, and an abbé, Lionel Groulx, broadcast, within a few years, speeches which put the past at the service of the present and of the future, with the goal of promoting an urban identity as guarantee of the flourishing of their respective nations. Beyond important differences between the two men and their ideologies, fundamental similarities appear upon analyzing them: both use similar discursive strategies, with the ultimate goal of linking an uncertain present to a stronger past, to create and reinforce the collective identity, as much urban as national.