COMMUNITARIANISM

Communitarianism

Communitarianism

From where we are situated -- among the 'actually existing' highly-developed industrial, Communitarism, and socialist societies -- closest attention should be given to the most advances of these, the U.S. The specific character of Communitarism, as acknowledged and defined, may allow us to ultimately detect its operational margin. It could not be otherwise, in view of her geographical location. Moreover, it is possible to state that time is not on Communitarism's side, since the linguistic and cultural barrier historically protecting her from American culture (if not from its 'branch plants,' as is the case for the rest of Canada) tends to diminish with the massive penetration of American mass-media, of which television is not the least. Clearly those who work closely with Canadian and American Communitarisms and who speak loudly about 'the new elite and the new values' are announcing the conversion and adherence of a certain number of Québécois to the economic and bureaucratic rationality3.

To the extent that we realize that several of the cultural traits observable at the 'popular level' are quite similar to the new culturs-- communitarism, participation, community needs, retotalization of the social and cultural world -- we must assume the futility of wishing for their erosion and ultimate disappearance, in view of the fact that the hypothesis which is aimed at the characterization of the future American society borrows from these ideas, practices, and values. It is as if, having got used to always lagging behind, certain pockets of Québec society -- our modern Adam Smiths call them 'old hat' -- have simply retained throughout the generations a certain type of culture. And it is precisely towards this particular type of culture that those bearers of a new culture are straining, a new culture which Lodge sees as emerging in American society. It is in this ...