Choosing the northern periphery: Paradoxes in the ways of dwelling of new residents of Eastern Minganie (North Shore, Quebec, Canada)

摘要

Pulled by employment, Nordic exoticism, the desire to live "far" North or for other reasons, many Southerners choose to move to remote northern indigenous and nonindigenous communities in Quebec (Canada). To better understand mobility and migration to northern peripheral regions, this article examines the paradoxical ways of dwelling of new residents who have settled in Eastern Minganie (North Shore, Quebec), located about 1,300 km from Montreal, the province's metropolis. These migrants consist mainly of professionals in the fields of education, health, and social services. Research results point to four paradoxes related to mobility, remoteness, nordicity, rootedness, and otherness. They reveal both push and pull factors that nuance the idea of geographic remoteness as nothing more than a constraint on territorial development and local dynamism. Moreover, this article argues that mobility must be accepted, recognised, and even encouraged because, despite the paradoxes it raises, mobility remains essential to the vitality of Nordic peripheral areas.