Language and Culture - Research Assessment

Fact-filled short history of the major figures of Montreal's Irish organized crime gangs in the second half of the 20th century. Filled with interesting anecdotes about various rarely written-about Montreal neighborhoods like Notre-Dame-de-Grace, Pointe-St-Charles and Verdun, this book is vital for anyone who researches anything to do with the Irish in Montreal.

Looking at Montreal's Jewish community during the first half of the twentieth century, Margolis explores the lives and works of activists, writers, scholars, performers, and organizations that fuelled a still-thriving community. Very thorough but still easy to read, this study will strongly enrich any study of Jewish life in Montreal.

In "The Hanging of Angélique", Afua Cooper draws on extensive trial records that offer, in Angélique's own words, a detailed portrait of her life and a sense of what slavery was like in Canada at the time.

A subtle history of the presence of various Chinese communities in Montreal up until 1951. Interesting and filled with statistical fact to back up any argument, "Les chinois a Montreal" provides very complete background information for a study of the Chinese community in Montreal.

Summary of sociological data of the Italian community in the mid 1960s. Describes in detail the ratio of Italians in their community, where most of them work, their language choices (English VS French), where they live, etc. This resource is very useful to get a general picture of the sociological data of the Italian community in Montreal at its peak of growth in the 1960s and its evolution all through the 20th century.

This title is a collection of essays on Yiddish life in Montreal in all its forms and cultural expressions. The forgotten importance of the Yiddish culture in Montreal is strongly revived in these pages. Crucial to understanding Yiddish life in Montreal

Factual description of the population change and history of the Black population in Montreal from its foundation until 1986. Of particular note is the precision with which post-World War 2 populations are described: where they live, where they come from, what kind of demographics we are talking about, etc.

This book of interviews is an absorbing autobiography of the Italian community of Montreal, and its encounters with important events in Canada and in Europe from 1992 to 1945: from Mussolini's March on Rome to the Concordat between the Catholic Church and the Italian state; from the war in Ethiopia to the Pact of Steel signed by Mussolini and Hitler; from the Spanish civil war to the declaration of war between Italy and Canada.

Very good overview of the major writers of different cultural communities in Montreal. A good introduction to the recurring themes and important figures in the writings of a variety of cultural groups. If you want to refine your understanding of the major writings of authors coming from various cultural communities in Montreal, this is the book to go to.

A surprisingly in-depth guide to the large Greek community in Quebec. Combines both sociological data and cultural investigation to draw a well-rounded and informative portrait of the Quebec Greek community.

Delving into the difficult question of slavery in Montreal and Quebec, this book is useful to understand the historical background of Black culture in Montreal.

Sherry Simon's interesting book on the French and English ways of life in Montreal takes the path of talking about translation being a daily fact for Montrealers. Use this book if you want to discover the different ways people negotiate speaking French and English in Montreal.

In Women and Narrative Identity Green demonstrates that the "national text" has at times functioned to constrain women's literary expression, while in other cases it has empowered the feminine voice, endowing it with a unique identitary power. Any research that wants to genderize Montreal and its cultural expressions will profit from taking a look at this book.

A thorough report, dating from 2006, of the distribution of visible minorities on the island of Montreal. Contains numerous maps which allow to visually situate where some of the more recent immigrant communities are concentrated.

Very readable account of the Oka crisis, what led to it and what happened, Swain's "Oka" explores the many unresolved problems which led to the standoff. In his view, many of the issues are not resolved yet today. Though not, strictly speaking, part of Montreal, the events around the Oka crisis are very useful to anyone hoping to understand in greater depth Native culture in Montreal.

A factual and thorough history of the presence of Jewish people in the territory of modern Quebec and in Montreal, Langlais' and Rome's "Jews and French Quebecers" is required reading for those students trying to understand anything about Jewish culture in Montreal