• Colonial History in the Age of Digital Humanities

    Robert Englebert Well before digital humanities was a hot commodity and seemingly a must for every grant application, I was cutting my teeth as a grad student and inadvertently became involved in digital history. Working for my PhD supervisor, Nicole St-Onge, at the University of Ottawa, I helped manage a team that digitized over 35,000… Continue Reading

  • “English” Chairs and “English” Desks: Rethinking Material Culture in New France

    Philippe Halbert In 1726, the earthly possessions of Philippe de Rigaud, marquis de Vaudreuil and governor-general of New France, were inventoried at his Quebec residence. The late governor-general’s château Saint-Louis ranked among the most sumptuous households in the capital city, and the royal notary Jacques Barbel appraised an array of French and Flemish tapestries, Chinese… Continue Reading

  • Chaises à l’anglaise et bureaux anglais, ou repenser la culture matérielle en Nouvelle-France

    Philippe Halbert En 1726, les biens terrestres de Philippe de Rigaud, marquis de Vaudreuil et gouverneur général de la Nouvelle-France, ont été inventoriés à Québec. Sa résidence, le château Saint-Louis, figurait parmi les plus somptueuses de la capitale. Parcourant les chambres, antichambres et cabinets du château, le notaire royal Jacques Barbel a dénombré des tentures… Continue Reading

  • The Quebec Invasion as Religious Encounter

    Patrick Lacroix Before Thomas Paine’s Common Sense could inflame the spirit of American colonists, the Quebec Act marked a decisive turn in the coming of the Revolution. The restoration of the Roman Catholic Church in the Province of Quebec to its prior standing aroused fears that had dissipated following the surrender of New France. The… Continue Reading

  • Urbanités: Geography, culture, and urban spaces at IHAF 2015

    Daniel Simeone The theme of the 2015 annual meeting of the Institut d’histoire amérique française (Institute for the History of French North America), the principal French-language conference for historians of Quebec and French-speaking North America, was Urbanités. French and English share the dual interlinked definitions of the word urbanity. It refers to both the condition… Continue Reading

  • IHAF 2015: An Overview from an Early North Americanist

    Maxime Dagenais Last week (15-17 October 2015) was the 68th Congress of the Institut d’histoire de l’Amérique française. For the uninitiated, the Institut d’histoire de l’Amérique française is the largest organization of historians and specialists of French North America. Though centered on Québec, it attracts scholars from all over Canada and abroad, including the United… Continue Reading

  • Betting on the Continental Army’s Canadian Campaign

    Jacqueline Reynoso In mid-January 1776, the paths of two military officers crossed in Hartford, Connecticut. While passing through the city, General Charles Lee encountered the imprisoned British Major, Christopher French. There, during an evening meal, they exchanged competing assessments about the ongoing military struggles of the period. At some point during the evening, they put… Continue Reading

  • Crossing Borders: Restructuring North American Narratives

    Patrick Lacroix It is encouraging to see that Atlantic history, alongside environmental history, has emerged as a leading line of enquiry. The Atlantic perspective has already done wonders for our collective understanding of the slave trade and the Age of Revolution. Here I hope to recommend a continental perspective as a profitable avenue for assessing Early Canadian and Early… Continue Reading