Celles et ceux qui fréquentent ce blogue depuis un certain temps seront sans doute surpris d’y trouver un billet en français. Depuis le début, mon site vise notamment à populariser l’histoire canadienne-française et franco-américaine auprès d’un lectorat anglophone—étatsunien, notamment. D’ailleurs, la vie franco-américaine d’aujourd’hui se déroule surtout en anglais. Or, la publication de « Tout nous […]
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A Political History of Franco-Americans: The Book
As many of you know, my first academic book, John F. Kennedy and the Politics of Faith, is now available from the University Press of Kansas. I am touched by the expressions of interest and support I’ve received in the last few weeks. As readers might suspect, the book is drawing attention due to its […]
Continue reading“This province is your country”: Understanding the Acadian Deportation
In all the said places and colonies to be yielded and restored by the most Christian King [Louis XIV], in pursuance of this treaty, the subjects of the said King may have liberty to remove themselves, within a year, to any other place. . . But those who are willing to remain there, and to […]
Continue readingReview: Brettell, Following Father Chiniquy
Book Review Caroline B. Brettell. Following Father Chiniquy: Immigration, Religious Schism, and Social Change in Nineteenth-Century Illinois. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2015. Regular readers of this blog will recognize that it is chiefly concerned with the Franco-Americans of New England and New York State and their connection to Quebec history, with occasional attention to […]
Continue readingA Political History of Franco-Americans
A week ago, I submitted my second book manuscript to a university press.[1] And yes, this one is about Franco-Americans. The amount of Franco-related political items I have shared on this blog and on Twitter since the beginning of the year is in fact closely related to this research project. The struggle for survivance and […]
Continue readingFranco-American Books: A Wish List
Mark your calendars! On May 21, at noon (Eastern time), I will deliver a lecture as part of the Vermont Historical Society’s Third Thursday program. At the moment, the plan is to offer access on Zoom. The talk is titled “The Other Franco-Americans: Tracing French-Canadian Settlement in Vermont.” You can find more info on the […]
Continue readingThe Future of the Franco-American Historical Narrative
Mark your calendars! On May 18, at 2 p.m. (Eastern time), I will be speaking on Franco-American religious battles for the Franco-American Centre at the University of Maine. The link will be accessible through the Centre shortly before the event. Then, on May 21, at noon, I will deliver a lecture as part of the […]
Continue readingReview: Licursi and Paquette, Franco-Americans in the Champlain Valley
Book Review Kimberly Lamay Licursi and Céline Racine Paquette. Franco-Americans in the Champlain Valley. Images of America. Charleston: Arcadia, 2018. The nearly seven years I spent in the United States were as enriching outside of the classroom as in—and, mind you, I was there to study and teach. From one academic environment to the next, […]
Continue readingThe Franco-American Pantheon
Last week’s blog post quoted Grégoire Chabot on a hypothetical Franco-American “hall of fame.” Chabot seemed to find few worthy models. Yet, surely, if Francos are to recognize the accomplishments of their community, they ought to find important and influential figures in their past. What famous individuals has the community produced? Who are its leading […]
Continue readingTurning the Past into Policy with Quebec Historians
Life by itself is formless wherever it is. Art must give it a form. – Hugh MacLennan, Two Solitudes (1945) The historical events we remember can be very revealing, not least because recollection is not a pure, spontaneous act. Collectively, it is a response to present-day concerns and the result of careful selection by well-placed […]
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