"Acadian Collective Identity Before and After Confederation: The Case of New Brunswick Acadians"
Publication Details
Catholic This article provides a brief review of the Acadian reaction to Confederation before and after 1867. In the years leading to the creation of the Dominion of Canada, the Acadians from the Maritimes provinces strongly opposed the proposed confederation. Notably, in New Brunswick, many Acadian constituencies rejected the union of the provinces, even when their religious superiors advocated its adoption. What reasons motivated the Acadian elite to refuse Confederation while the Catholic Church and the French Canadians saw it as an advantageous repositioning? And how did the newly emerged Acadian elite from Collège Saint-Joseph continue to shape Acadian identity while navigating around this new level of government after 1867? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]