The Centre for Research on French Canadian Culture (CRCCF) is celebrating its 50th anniversary. According to Yves Frenette, the centre’s director, it is rare for a research centre to enjoy such a long life and to achieve such a destiny.
Founded on October 2, 1958, what was then called the Centre de recherche en littérature canadienne-française set a mission to fill a gap by promoting the study of French Canadian literature. Its architects, all professors from the University of Ottawa’s Département de français, recognized the importance of co-ordinating interrelated activities: collecting a corpus of documents, undertaking research and disseminating its results. Today, these objectives form the three main segments of the CRCCF’s mandate.
“For the past 50 years, the centre has had a mandate of maintaining archives, developing research and publishing its results,” Frenette says. “Over time, and depending on the interests of researchers and directors, things have evolved. The centre has adapted and its direction has changed.”
In 1969, for example, the centre adopted its current name to reflect its interest in disciplines other than literature, that is, history, visual arts, language, education and social sciences – fields of activity and disciplines in which French Canadian civilization finds expression. The same year, the centre received the first instalment of archives from the Association canadienne-française de l’Ontario. Today, about two-thirds of the documents archived at the centre come from French Ontario. In the 1970s, the centre turned toward Ontario and the Franco-Ontarian community, which has since adopted it as one of its main “lieux de mémoire,” or memory sites.
Over the years, the CRCCF has become interested in French Canada as a whole, including Quebec. It actively encourages and promotes research, not only on French Canadian culture and society, but also on francophone heritage in North America. It is forming new partnerships with universities in Quebec, elsewhere in Canada and the United States.
The recent creation of three research chairs on Canadian francophonie – one in cultural practices, one in history and one in literature – effectively illustrates the centre’s new-found momentum. Frenette, who is a historian and a specialist on the North American francophonie, adds, “These new chairs will make CRCCF documentary resources available for more systematic research.” In 2009, the centre will move to Morisset Hall to new, more spacious offices better suited to its needs.
How does one explain the CRCCF’s longevity? Frenette is clear on this point. “The CRCCF has remained faithful to the vision of its founders and has always had the support of the University of Ottawa. In addition to the interdisciplinary nature of its research and the complementary nature of its publications, it has the support of the Franco-Ontarian community, which sees the centre as a site for open and welcoming scientific exchange.”
