Politicization by the Rule, Politicization in Substance: How People Intersect Procedure, Class, Territory, and Race in Borough Councils in Montreal

In this article, we examine the politicization of discussions within four borough councils in Montreal from 2016 to 2021. By observing monthly council meetings in each borough, we highlight how people define politics within the institutions and identify the social categories (social class, race, or others) on which processes of politicization underlie. We conceive politicization as a filter determining whether and how an issue is discussed. To this end, our theoretical framework links processes of politicization to an increase in generality and refers to the notion of symbolic and social boundaries. Our observation of city council meetings challenges the apolitical character of Canadian and Quebec municipalities. First, people participating in the councils’ meetings take politics seriously, even if they distrust institutions. Second, two types of politicization are distinguished. A politicization through rules reflects a widening of democratic practices, and a politicization in substance intersects classes, territories, and races. Politicization through rules helps contain conflict but also risks depoliticizing the issues. Politicization in substance reflects contemporary debates about the construction of justice and, thus, about the intersection of social categories.