Anachronistic Progressivism: Advancing Sovereignty through Monarchy – The story of the Kingdom of L’Anse-Saint-Jean
Abstract
This article examines the story of the Kingdom of L’Anse-Saint-Jean where a popular referendum resulted in the first and only North American municipal monarchy. Many questioned whether this was a publicity stunt; for Denys Tremblay, aka King Denys I, it represented much more than that. Moreover, as a living performance piece it challenged people’s perspectives on nationalism, sovereignty, and democracy. King Denys I applied his own personal touch to the project which sought to attract people to the region as well as show what could be done within the limits of the status quo. Though the monarchy was short-lived, it achieved what decades of separatist politics could not in Québec: the establishment of a sovereign sub-unit of a democracy without contravening its constitution.
Keywords
micronations, sovereignty, nationalism, L’Anse-Saint-Jean, Québec
Author Biography
R. Georges Gardinetti
R. Georges Gardinetti is a graduate student at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada and studies public policy.
Valérie Vézina
Dr. Valérie Vézina is a professor of political science at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, British Columbia, Canada. Her research focuses on the intersection between nationalism studies and island studies. She specialises in comparative studies and has published books and articles on Puerto Rico, American Samoa and Newfoundland.