Anciens et néoruraux: Préjugés, tensions et affinités au sein d'une localité rurale québécoise

Abstract

This study examines the challenges posed by cohabitation in rural areas. In addition to addressing the issue of land-use conflicts, it focusses on the relations between oldtimers (e.g. locals) and newcomers by means of surveys of the daily interactions as well as an analysis of the lay discourse of these populations concerning their mutual appreciation. This original approach allows to shed light on the sources of tensions between locals and newcomers as well as on new affinities. The interviews were conducted in Havelock, a rural area in Quebec, Canada, with households of newcomers and locals. Three factors are fueling the tensions between those two segments of population: the feeling of loss held by the locals, the prioritization of the environment and amenities by the newcomers, and divergent attitudes by each group with regard to the sense of community. Nevertheless, despite this clash of values, land-use conflicts, and stereotyped images, friendly relations as well as shared interests and common values were shown to exist. Overshadowed by the former, these affinities often remain underestimated or go unrecognized. In Havelock, an attachment to the land and the presence of views that are distinct from the dominant voices emerge as two connecting factors between the locals and the newcomers and as phenomena which could potentially lead to new alliances. © 2013 Lavoisier, Paris.