A History of “Francophone Perspectives” in Alberta's Social Studies Curricula (1993–2024)

Abstract

In 2005, Alberta’s ministry of education introduced a mandate to learn about “Francophone perspectives” in its social studies curriculum, from kindergarten to grade 12. This curriculum, which is now under reform, failed to define the terms “perspectives” and “Francophone perspectives;” in addition, it neglected to outline the historical and constitutional reasons that justified their inclusion. This article considers how and why the term “Francophone perspectives” found its way into the Alberta curriculum. I analyzed the draft and final versions of the social studies curriculum since the term first appeared in a 1999 draft, as well as related government consultations and the testimonies of curriculum authors. I argue that Francophone perspectives were recognized and kept their place, despite criticism, due to: 1) unprecedented partnerships between Canadian ministries of education as well as Indigenous, francophone, and anglophone curriculum authors; 2) their mobilization of James Banks’s transformative approach to multicultural education; 3) an underlying pluralist vision of Canada as a partnership between francophones, Indigenous peoples, and anglophones; and 4) the authors’ protection of Francophone and Indigenous perspectives amidst negative feedback. This article illuminates the advent of the now-popular multi-perspectival approach to social studies in Western and Northern Canada as well as the crafting of new ways to write curriculum in partnership.