French–English bilingualism has been a prominent feature of Canadian life, and French immersion has played a prominent role in Canada's response to the exigencies of bilingualism. This chapter reviews some historical antecedents of French immersion, current programmatic and pedagogical aspects of it, and the educational and social impact that immersion education has had.

A BRIEF SOCIOPOLITICAL HISTORY OF ENGLISH–FRENCH RELATIONS

To understand the origins and development of immersion, it is useful to start with a brief historical review of its sociopolitical antecedents, especially in Quebec where it originated (see Bourhis, 1984, for more complete coverage). Like many parts of the New World, Canada was settled and governed by European nations during its early development. The first colonization of Canada was undertaken by the French, beginning with Jacques Cartier's landing in 1534. French control gave way to British control in 1763, when the British defeated the French at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham near Quebec City (Cook, Saywell and Ricker, 1977). French-Canadian culture was deeply rooted in North America at the time of the British conquest. Thus, it resisted the assimilationist efforts of British legislation and immigration policy which would have eroded the vitality of a less entrenched ethnolinguistic group.