The Érudit site has been supporting scientists and academics for 25 years, providing them with free online access to a large number of publications in French, mainly in the fields of the humanities and social sciences. Meeting with Frédéric Bouchard, the leader of this “national treasure”.
What was the initial idea for the Erudite site?
They are crazy dreamers, founders of the platform. In the 1990s, we were far from the technologies we have today, but we were at the confluence of two realities with the democratization of the Internet. We suspected that scholarly journals were going increasingly digital.
In the early 1990s, Quebecers were prescient when they told themselves that the future of journalism was online.
At that time, humanities and social science research was not a priority of private publishers. However, she also had to participate in this revolution. This is where Erudite's contribution can be explained.
The starting point is a partnership between three universities: Laval University (Laval), the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM) and the University of Montreal (UdeM).
Frédéric Bouchard is Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Montreal and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Erudite.
Photo: Erudite
Now, we are working on open science, more accessible and democratized, and not only in French, but also in German and Brazilian Portuguese, something we should be very proud of. It adds that research skills are anchored in our society and relevant in our language.
In your opinion, did erudite play an important role in French-speaking science?
Science in French does not have the means to create this digital transformation. At the outset, the question is Quebecois: How can we ensure that the humanities in French remain at the edge of technology? It was deeply ambitious and subversive!
If the humanities in French hadn't found ways to be avant-garde like they have in other languages, they wouldn't be as important today.
It is a question of scientific sovereignty, of ensuring that research in all fields is taken seriously and accessible to all.
There wasn't much talk of open science at the time, but from the beginning of Erudite, there was this desire for a broad and generous exchange of knowledge. From the beginning, the values of the public Internet – free and open – were the framework of the project.
However, before you can send anything, you need to have content. Therefore, the idea was originally to ensure that the humanities were part of the topics of discussion in French.
Why is it important to have Quebec science journals?
It is very important for each institution to have its own national research capacity. Consider dropping out of school. In Quebec and Japan, these are not the same causes or the same solutions.
If a researcher who wants to compare dropouts in Montreal and Chicoutimi publishes his research in a French-language journal, he does not have to justify that he is looking at these questions in French. If he's submitting his research to an international journal, a good chunk of his text will explain why he's looking at it in French.
We proudly collaborate with French researchers, but Quebec journals must.
Also, centering everything in one language, for example English, is harmful to us. The dominance of English in science is not bad because it has allowed many scientists to transmit their knowledge across borders, but I believe we are moving towards greater diversity. Linguistics, thanks to open science.
I would be very surprised if in 40 years, or 20 years, science only speaks English. Automatic translation technology and the democratization of science will reduce the influence of linguistic standardization. However, for this to become a reality, sites like Érudit are needed.
What role do open access scientific articles play?
Untransmitted knowledge is dead knowledge. We cannot predict which use of knowledge will be most appropriate, but if we keep knowledge within a small circle, we limit its potential.
Through Erudite, there are plenty of high school students who find out what university is like through research for homework. They discovered the existence of such a researcherUQAMThis sociologist is from Trois-Rivières, etc.
Open science helps show that everyone can participate in research. It also instills interest in this world of interests and hobbies.
Obviously, this is useful for researchers, not only here, but also in less privileged countries where they cannot afford journal subscriptions.
It fascinated me, and all these people I meet are benefiting from Erudite: journalists, researchers, people in various ministries, etc.
Érudit is used every day by people all over the world. Currently, one studying in Tunisia is done here. It makes our researchers known internationally.
What is the legacy and what is the future for Erudite?
Erudite is an act of gleeful subversion. We're trying to change the world, and we're doing it. It is important that every country has its international research capacity. It would be a great danger for Canada to tell itself. We only rely on US sites.
Imagine if they cut off access to the server as Meta publishes news on its sites.
Quebec and Canadian research have long led to great achievements. When Erudite was launched, we knew we could make a big impact through the quality of our research.
Quebec and Canada occupy a special position on the world stage with our transparency and our credibility. We do not try to control or dominate others. We really need to contribute something to the world. We need to give ourselves permission to be proud of what we've done and expand our ambitions.
It is a national treasure, I truly believe it is.
I firmly believe that our great collective successes begin with crazy dreams, and then thanks to the people who work every day to prove that it is not crazy. Erudite will one day celebrate her centenary, I'm sure. I think we can be very proud of that.
