La grammaire d’Outremont : ethnographie de trois controverses autour des hassidim
This work analyses three subjects of controversy around the Hassidic Jewish community of the neighbourhood of Outremont - Montreal, between 2014 and 2016: the dispute around the celebration of Purim; the installation of cabins for the Soukkot celebration and the proposed law to ban places of worship on Outremont’s commercial streets.  Through ethnographic research in the neighbourhood, it examines the way these controversies, considered as conversations and practical accomplishments, took place. By closely considering the borough question period and public consultations, the informal encounters between Hassidim and non-Hassidim and the more intimate conversations between the neighbourhood’s inhabitants, it investigates how the controversies manifest themselves in the every-day life of Outremont. Whilst the discourse surrounding the controversies in the public space tends to crystallise around municipal regulations, the individuals’ discourse change, when they switch from the public to the intimate sphere. This produces what we have called the ‘grammar’ of Outremont. In this grammar, public speech about religion and the issues of cohabitation between Hassidim and non-Hassidim is avoided because it is considered taboo in the Outremont public space.
Hassidim Non-hassidim Outremont Controversies Public space Publicity Neighbourhood Ethnography Front stage and back stage