Harvesting the generous crop of the Québécois reasonable accommodation controversy 1

This chapter aims precisely at unpacking the ways in which the gender equality and sexual freedoms frame gets articulated to the Quebecois nation and draw boundaries between 'us' and 'not-us'. Through a systematic study of Quebec press coverage dealing with 'reasonable accommodation', by using a Critical Discourse Aanalysis (CDA) perspective, precisely the discourse-historical approach. It also uncovers the ways in which arguments about gender equality and sexuality freedoms work in the discursive production of the Quebecois nation and its others, as well as in the justification of coercive/exclusionary policy responses to the perceived threat posed by these undesirable aliens. Clearly, framing tensions between gender and culture as an insolvable dilemma is not helpful in grasping the 'problem', for it is a significant part of it. As a form of racialised discourse, it also shapes the contours of immigration and integration debates.