Speaking in the name of the people in 19th-century French Canada: Arguments and decontextualization

The authors examine the argumentative and rhetorical processes- inanity arg ument, perverse effect, etc.-that allowed 19th-century elites to speak on b ehalf of the people, whose sovereignty was asserted. These struggles appear ed throughout the continent, since at issue was the invention of nations in a New World where ideological definitions were still unclear. For this rea son, the analysis is placed in the context of liberal and traditionalist mo vements opposing each other not only in French Canada, but also in Latin Am erica.