The Acadians: In Search of a Homeland

by James Laxer

An evocative and beautifully written history of some of Canada’s earliest settlers, and their search for a definitive home.

In 1604, a small group of migrants fled political turmoil and famine in France to start a new colony on Canada’s east coast. Their roughly demarcated territory included what are now Canada’s Maritime provinces, land that was fought over by the British and French empires until the Acadians were finally expelled in 1755. Their diaspora persists to this day.

The Acadians is the definitive history of a little-known part of the North American past, and the quintessential story of a people in search of their identity. In the absence of a state, what defines an Acadian is elusive and while today’s Acadian community centred in New Brunswick is more confident than ever, it is entering a contentious debate about its future.

James Laxer’s compelling book brilliantly explores one of Canada’s oldest and most distinct cultural groups, and shows how their complex, often tragic history reflects the larger problems facing Canada and the world today.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Canada

336 pages, Paperback

First published October 17, 2006

About the author

James Laxer was a Canadian political economist and professor at York University.

Reviews

[Janice Salmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the history of the Acadian people. I once met a black lady from the south with my maiden name, a French Canadian name. She jokingly said someone in my family tree was a slave owner. I knew slaves took their masters last name, but I had never heard that the Cajuns became slave owners. As a teen that grew up in NB, but moved away as a young adult with my family. The political climate of NB was too scary. Too much hate

[Jesse]

Great starting point for a history - does a fair job at condensing a swathe of time and events to within 300 pages. The abbreviated length begin to feel a bit lop-sided once the book hits the political upheaval of the last sixty years, feeling more like a recounting of governmental session minutes than big-picture history in brief. The book as a whole also suffers quite a bit from redundant passages and passages which are redundant (ahem). But these notes aside, the book is a great place to begin a journey through Acadian history.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for sheer readability of a topic that I knew nothing about. I was anxious to learn more as a part of prepping for our trip to PEI next month. This book provides a wonderful and expansive history of the Acadian people, as well as of their horrifying ordeal of being forcibly removed from their homeland. Some of the Canadian politics got a little boring since the book in those parts seemed to assume some basic background of Canadian political history, but it was still accessible and interesting. I am hoping to learn more about the Acadians when we’re in the Maritimes!

[Ryan Castle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great background on the history of this community. The book provides excellent insight for those taking their first looks at the Acadie people. Most surprising was the understanding that is given for the politics behind Canada’s work in being a bilingual country.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had always wanted to learn the history of the Acadians and this is an excellent book to learn about the Acadians.

[Gabrielle Huston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for HUMS4500. Read most of it and what I didn't read was supplemented by academic research.

[Richard Worden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-written account of an aspect of history that is not well-known.

[Ryan O'Hearn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written and interesting, especially the first half. Very comprehensive

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this so much more than I liked Jobb's The Acadians: A People's Story of Exile and Triumph. First, the bias wasn't there - Laxer just allows the events to stand alone, with the reader understanding the inherent horror of the situation. Second, there is more emphasis paid to the effects of the derangement and how the community has come back to life (despite setbacks). My only quibble was that, once again, an editor's touch was needed. Often there was too much repetition of facts, sometimes within the same paragraph.

If you're looking to learn more about the Acadians, this is a great starting place.

[Gisele Clement · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book, with a unique perspective. It follows the history of the Acadians from their arrival in present day Nova Scotia, their expulsion by the British to various areas in the world, the reasons for this expulsion and how they fared in Louisiana and in New Brunswick. It introduces the world to the Honourable Louis Robichaud, one of the youngest and most able premiers in Canadian history.

[Debby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being one of the 14 founding Acadian families it was sad, inspiring and so well written. He also happens to be a prof at the university I work at. Our family, the Aucoins, is mentioned many time in this book.

[Kathleen McRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

The acadians is a very readable and comprehensive history of the acadians in maritime Canada.