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For a long time, research on children tended to focus on the family, the school and recreation; only psychology and the educational sciences considered them in terms of their own characteristics. This selective overview of sociohistorical research into the children of Quebec examines childliood through demographic, historical ethnological, legal and social studies as well as through social studies carried out in an intervention context. The multidisciplinarity of this field of child-oriented research, which stems from the diversification of areas of inquiry and expertise, needs to be complemented by research exploring to a greater extent the perspective of the child and by recourse to a better-contextualized approach to the child's daily life and social network.

Children's social services, an essential component of social organization, involve lines of distinction linked to age, sex, class, religious denomination and ethnic origin through the years 1850-1950. In Québec City, the development of a “nebula” of assistance services, modelled after the urban fabric, suggests inextricable combinations of providers and of “target groups” as well as of lines of intervention, according to the situation, the urgency of the needs and the possibilities that are available. By studying this “mixed social economy” model through three networks: orphanages and crèches, reform and industrial schools and the infant health program Gouttes de lait, the article asserts that municipal authorities were not hasty to intervene because there was already a multitude of institutional and private services that managed to cover the populous neighbourhoods of the city to fulfill the most pressing needs. This context might explain the persistence of a “personalized assistance” model in Québec City.

AbstractThis article presents an approach to interpreting the issue of identity in recent Québec films, by showing how identity is mobilized by film makers. Two story structures have a fundamental influence on the imaginary world of Québec films : a hegemonic story of deprivation, of emptiness, the tragic story of a thwarted existence, and a story of plurality, of a positive approach to ambivalence, a story of enchantment with being. The originality and richness of Québec cinema lie precisely within this tension between the two stories that run throughout this cinematography, from the earliest films to the most recent productions. It is thus possible to put forward a few ideas concerning the links that are being created in Québec between identity, politics and temporal references.

AbstractThis article describes a model of global education founded on the need for pedagogical training. This model is the frame for training individuals who are motivated to facilitate change and who are sensitive to the needs of their fellow man and who have the skills needed to effect these transformations. This text illustrates an implementation of this model, specifically showing how pedagogy, which is based on dialogue with students, appeals to both the intellectual and affective aspects, as well as that of hopes and dreams, and so counters all dogmatism. The discussion examines some of the limits of this work and those intra- personal, interpersonal, and social factors which can create obstacles to change, as well as those human strengths which promote progress.

AbstractIn the light of the evolution of the concept of Security in China and of the link that is now made between infectious diseases and non-traditional security (NTS), this article proposes to analyze the way China deals with epidemics today, notably the avian influenza. It is interested particularly in the response that derives from the Chinese “new concept of security,” which suggests to follow four principles : mutual confidence, mutual benefit, equality, and coordination, to face these NTS issues. Consequently, it seeks to find out how these principles are put into practice in the fight against epidemics in China and what their limits are.

AbstractThe recent emergence of identity claims in modern politics has transformed the conventional understanding of social justice. While the pursuit of social justice was long perceived as a function of economic redistribution, identity politics now predicates social justice on the political recognition of identity claims. Both visions are often opposed in current theoretical discourse. This conceptual polarization is politically useless and does not correspond to reality : injustice manifests itself simultaneously on both the economic and cultural fronts. This essay proposes a theoretical and normative model which integrates both dimensions of justice in a unified framework.

AbstractThe goal of this paper is to examine the effects of the Canadian Charter of Rights on social movement politics, using the case of the lesbian and gay rights movement. Has the Charter shaped the discourse and strategies of social movement politics and, if so, how? Given that the 1982 constitutional amendment is widely seen as politically illegitimate by many francophone Quebecers, are there differences between the impact of the Canadian Charter on social movement politics in Quebec compared to its impact in the rest of Canada? After surveying the movements in English Canada and Quebec, the article concludes that nationalism has shaped the responses of the movements to new political opportunities.

ABSTRACTIn the last thirty years, economists have been applying their tools and methods to the study of crime deterrence. In this paper, we review their most important contributions.