No Quiet Revolution: Studies in the Sonic History of Montréal 1965-1975

Abstract

Listening for sound and noise in Montréal during the late 1960s and early 1970s, this dissertation adds a sonic perspective to historical understanding of the later years of Québec’s “Quiet Revolution.” Guided by aurality rather than visuality, and arguing implicitly for the inclusion of sound in historical methodology, this project puts noise and silence – both literal and figurative – at the centre of the question: What does it mean to call the great transformation of Québec from 1965 to 1975 a “Quiet Revolution”? Exploring the auditory atmosphere of what was a cacophonous and dissonant decade, this thesis analyses Montréal’s urban soundscape, music, language, and acts of silencing. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the work is informed by theories culled from existing works on sense history, sound studies, and Québec and Canadian historiography. Via the practice of “agile listening,” the dissertation seeks to re-create a sense of Montréal’s sonic environment between 1965 and 1975.