74.4 La tutelle des enfants mineurs au Bas-Canada autorité domestique, traditions juridiques et masculinités

Abstract

This article explores uses of French tutorship in the district of Montreal at the beginning of the 19th century. Thus, meanings of gender relations and household government can be addressed in a context of growing cultural pluralism. Two models of household masculinity prevailed: one deeply rooted in French Canadian sociability and local community; and a more individualistic model based on the general avoidance of tutorship proceedings and male control over the household. By resorting to the “juge des tutelles” as Anglo-Celtic women often did, French Canadian fathers found themselves in a subaltern position on the British patriarchal spectrum where true masculinity for the head of household and the political subject meant independence.