The Contexts of Acadian History, 1686-1784

In the first study to connect the Acadian experience with the heritage of ideas the migrants brought with them from Europe, Naomi Griffiths explores the creation and endurance of the Acadian community and the ways in which the Acadians differed from the people of New England and New France. One result of the war between England and France for the domination of much of North America was the deportation of the Acadians from their homeland in 1755. Griffiths examines the implications of this deportation for the survival of the Acadian community.

Naomi E.S. Griffiths

"a most impressive piece of work. Drawing on her long immersion in pre-expulsion Acadian history, Griffiths is able to present a thoughtful and mature assessment of the formative period of the Acadian experience. As the title suggests, she is intent upon placing the Acadians in the proper contexts, something that really has not successfully been done before; so often they have been presented almost in a vacuum ... For the period up to 1750 this is the most exciting, stimulating, and provocative work on the Acadians that I have yet read ... It goes beyond what has been written to date on the Acadians and considerably sharpens our focus on this period." Barry Moody, Department of History, Acadia University.