How can the Université de Montréal reconcile the important legacy of Lionel Groulx, whose name was given to one of its buildings, with some of the positions of the canon and intellectual that are profoundly contrary to the current values of the institution? This is one of the questions that the UdeM Toponymy Committee has been considering following a request to review the toponymic designation of the Lionel-Groulx building.
This request, received in July 2020, was made by professors from the Department of History, who denounced certain writings of Canon Groulx, in addition to accusing him of a lack of intellectual probity and practices incompatible with university ethics.
To support their decision, the Committee members met with multiple stakeholders with very opposing views on the work and person of Lionel Groulx. After a rigorous analysis of the points of view presented, a majority of members of the Toponymy Committee recommended to the University Council that the name of the building be preserved in recognition of the pioneering and building role that Lionel Groulx played at the Université de Montréal, while contextualizing this designation and shedding critical light on the controversial aspects of his work.
A legacy closely linked to the development of UdeM
Founder of the Institute of History of the Université de Montréal, which became the Department of History in 1962, Canon Groulx made a significant contribution to the professionalization of the historical discipline in Quebec and at the University. He is also the first holder of a chair in Canadian history at the UdeM and the founder of the Académie canadienne-française and the Institut d’histoire de l’Amérique française. Lionel Groulx is considered by his contemporaries to be an essential thinker in Quebec society and a leading figure in the academic community.
Although some of his positions are contrary to the University’s current values, particularly in terms of equity, diversity and inclusion, the experts consulted by the Committee are overwhelmingly of the opinion that the racism, misogyny and anti-Semitism expressed in Lionel Groulx’s work are not at the heart of his thinking. Canon Groulx did not contribute to the construction of such ideologies; rather, in this regard, he was part of the dominant current of thought among Catholic intellectuals of the time, certainly imbuing himself with the prejudices of his time. A time when the clergy exercised considerable influence on Quebec and the university environment.
On the subject of the lack of intellectual probity raised by certain historians – Lionel Groulx notably used assumed names to sign reviews of his own works, experts consulted by the Toponymy Committee indicated that this was a common practice at that time, which could be explained in part by certain delicate positions taken by Canon Groulx with regard to the clergy.
Toponymic revision: a marked procedure
Before proceeding with the analysis of the request for toponymic revision, the members of the Committee provided themselves with markers that could guide them in their work. This is why the University Council adopted in June 2021 theStatement of Principles Relating to Requests for Changes in Toponymic DesignationThe Committee subsequently developed a Procedure for a request for a change of toponymy. Since the withdrawal of a toponymic designation is exceptional, these two documents allowed the Committee to undertake in-depth and systematic reflection on the request for revision, taking into account the principles which should govern the choice of toponyms at the University.
In order to formulate its recommendation, the Committee met with the applicants and sought the opinions of numerous specialists in the work of Lionel Groulx, which made it possible to hear different points of view on the issue.
At the end of this analysis, a majority of Committee members felt that Lionel Groulx’s legacy, closely associated with the development of the University, deserved the honour of a toponymic designation on the mountain campus. A report written by a minority of Committee members who spoke in favour of changing the name of the pavilion was also submitted. This report was also presented to the University Council, which consulted both documents before ratifying the majority group’s recommendation. For the Council, it is not incompatible to highlight the major influence that Lionel Groulx had on Quebec society and the history of UdeM and to recognize the deleterious nature of some of his positions.
Establishing a dialogue with the legacy of Lionel Groulx
Since the end of the summer, passers-by in Place Publique have been able to see, next to the Lionel-Groulx pavilion, a modular installation, halfway between sculpture and street furniture, which can be read as both a stopover and a place for exchanges. This is a work by contemporary artist Ludovic Boney, specially commissioned by the University to contextualize the legacy of Lionel Groulx. In the coming weeks, an explanatory plaque will be installed near the work and will invite people to contemplate, reflect and redefine points of view.
Because in adopting the recommendation of the majority group of the Toponymy Committee to keep the name of the pavilion, the Council also requested that a project be set up to recognize the various aspects of Lionel Groulx’s work, including those that are controversial. In the winter of 2023, the Université de Montréal launched a public art competition to acquire an installation that would establish a critical and constructive dialogue with the intellectual and political legacy of the most famous canon in the history of Quebec. A selection jury was formed, composed of members of the university community – including one of the signatories of the initial request for toponymic revision – and representatives of civil society.
The artist Ludovic Boney was selected at the end of this competition, which was directed by Laurent Vernet, director of the Galerie de l’Université de Montréal and specialist in public art.
Three questions for Ludovic Boney
Originally from Wendake, Ludovic Boney taught sculpture at the Maison des métiers d’art de Québec and is known for his large-scale public art projects. The work he designed for the University is entitled Parallaxnamed after an optical phenomenon that reflects the effect of the observer’s change of position on what he perceives. A way for the artist to encourage us to observe Lionel Groulx’s legacy from another angle, or even from other angles. He tells us about it.
In your artistic practice, you explore the connection between sculpture, structures and the way things are made. What materials did you choose for “Parallaxe” and how does this work fit into your approach?
I used corten steel, a material containing copper, which causes oxidation that protects the surface from the elements. On top of the 13 modules, aluminum panels painted in a gradient of blue are affixed. My choices were guided by the built environment around the Place Publique, mainly in brick. The square geometric structure of the windows also inspired me. The blue hues of the modules are a reminder of the reflection of the sky that pierces through the buildings. Between the shapes and colors, it is a call to movement and contemplation.
The title “Parallaxe” evokes a phenomenon related to the change of position and perception. What meaning does this title have for you in the context of a dialogue with the work of Lionel Groulx?
Through Parallax, I tried to evoke in a light way the complexity of thought. The different modules that compose it echo a multitude of points of view that create a whole. It is an installation reminiscent of a labyrinth that encourages us to always look differently. The mind is called upon to play with the units by fitting the polycubes into each other to make new forms that allow each time a new reading of the work.
“Parallaxe” also plays on the notion of perspective and visual distortion. How are people invited to interact with this installation depending on their viewing angle or their position in the public square?
It is a work in which one can move around. The notion of perspective is a very important element. When one is completely perpendicular to the work, it is opaque and when one has one’s back to it it is rather narrow. However, when one enters it, openings create visual breakthroughs. It is an invitation to offer oneself new perspectives, to be interested in the multiple perceptions of the same reality. I would like people to appropriate the work. For it to be used as furniture to sit on or eat on.
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