Remembering and Forgetting in Acadie: A Historian's Journey through Public Memory - Softcover

Rudin, Ronald

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0802096573 ISBN 13: 9780802096579

Publisher: University of Toronto Press, 2009

Synopsis

Between 2004 and 2005, Acadians observed two major anniversaries in their history: the 400th anniversary of the birth of Acadie and the 250th anniversary of their deportation at the hands of the British. Attending many of the commemorative activities that marked the anniversaries, Ronald Rudin has documented these events as an "embedded historian." Conducting interviews and collecting the opinions of Acadians, Anglophones, and First Nations, Remembering and Forgetting in Acadie examines the variety of ways in which the past is publicly presented and remembered.

A profound and accessible study of the often-conflicting purposes of public history, Rudin details the contentious cultural, political, and historical issues that were prompted by these anniversaries. Offering an astounding collection of materials, Remembering and Forgetting in Acadie is also accompanied by a website (www.rememberingacadie.concordia.ca) that provides access to films, audio clips, and photographs assembled on Rudin's journey through public memory.

About this title

About the Author:

Ronald Rudin is a professor in the Department of History and co-director of the Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling at Concordia University. His most recent book, Remembering and Forgetting in Acadie, received both the US National Council on Public History Book Award and the Public History Prize of the Canadian Historical Association.

Review:

'Remembering and Forgetting in "Acadie" is a highly original and path-breaking book. In his important analysis, Ronald Rudin skilfully interweaves first-person accounts of the 2004-5 anniversaries with both archival and interview-derived evidence.' (John Reid, Department of History, St Mary's University)

'Ronald Rudin's approach to the 2004-5 commemoration is effective and unique, allowing for insights not always revealed from press reports, government documents, or the minutes of committee meetings. Covering a broad range of issues including commemoration, public history, and the experiences of First Nations and Acadians, Remembering and Forgetting in "Acadie" is more than a work of history—in a sense it is like a documentary film where the participants do much of the talking, revealing multiple perspectives to the reader.' (Greg Marquis, History and Politics, University of New Brunswick Saint John)

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Toronto Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0802096573
• ISBN 13: 9780802096579
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384