Calvinist pluriformity challenges liberal assimilation: a novel case for publicly funding Alberta's private schools, 1953-1967

Between 1958 and 1967, neo-Calvinist immigrants resisted the assimilating pressure of Alberta's liberal-inspired public school system by arguing that public funding should be extended to independent schools. This essay analyzes how neo-Calvinist ideas about the nature of society, the place of religion in public life, the purpose of schools, and the state's task in regards to plurality directly challenged mainstream thinking on these issues. The essay argues that the neo-Calvinists believed their new idea of a pluriform public order created space for Albertans to imagine public policies that could escape the assimilating tendencies of mainstream liberalism. Entre 1958 et 1967, les immigrants neo-calvinistes ont resiste aux pressions assimilatrices du systeme liberal d'ecoles publiques de l'Alberta en affirmant que les fonds publics devraient egalement financer les ecoles independantes. Le present article analyse comment les idees neo-calvinistes portant sur la nature de la societe, la place de la religion dans la vie publique, la raison d'etre des ecoles et la tache de l'etat en matiere de pluralite ont directement influe sur la facon de penser du grand public sur ces sujets. L'article avance que les Neo-calvinistes croyaient que leur nouvelle idee d'un ordre public pluriforme permettait aux Albertains d'imaginer des politiques publiques qui pourraient echapper aux tendances assimilatrices du liberalisme conventionnel.