Report on the 41e Colloque Annuel International de l'Association Française d'Études Canadiennes, June 12-15, 2013, Université Rennes 2, Rennes, France
The l'Association française d'études canadiennes (AFEC) held their 41st annual conference at the Université Rennes 2 in Rennes, France, from 12-15 June, 2013. This year's conference theme was Mémoire(s) canadienne(s) /(Re)constructing Memory in Canada. I was fortunate to have received a grant from the Canadian Studies Network-Réseau d'études canadiennes to attend and present my research at this conference.
La conférence était organisée par le Centre d'études canadiennes de l'université Rennes 2 et le Centre de recherches historiques de l'Oust, en partenariat avec le Centre d'études canadiennes de l'université d'Angers et l'Institut d'études canadiennes de l'université d'Ottawa. La conférence a réuni des rechercheurs de France, Hongrie, Espagne, Autriche, Brésil, et le Canada, qui travaillent sur différents projets sur la mémoire au Canada. Sessions de la conférence ont été structurés autour des variantes de thème Mémoire(s) canadienne(s), qui ont compris Mémoire des lieux et lieux de mémoire, Mémoire(s) et identité(s), Le livre: mémoire de l'Histoire, et Diversité des vecteurs mémoriels. J'ai inclus une copie du programme de la conférence avec ce rapport.
The conference opened on the afternoon of June 12th with the annual general meeting of l'Association française d'études canadiennes. This was followed by the conference's inaugural talk given by Yves Frenette from the University of Ottawa, and a reception for conference attendees. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend that day's events, as my flight from Toronto to Paris was diverted to Brussels due to ongoing labour strikes at Charles de Gaulle airport. As a result, I did not arrive in Rennes until late on the 12th. Conference sessions took place on June 13th and 14th. Presentations covered a diverse range of topics that addressed the conference theme of Reconstructing Memory in Canada. A summary of a few of the papers presented reveals the breadth of research presented at the conference.
Alexandre Turgeon de l'Université Laval a présenté sur la méthodologie d'utiliser Twitter comme un moyen de suivre les usages de la mémoire sur les médias sociaux. Nathalie Kermoal de Université de l'Alberta a discuté la murale Grandin à Edmonton qui est devenu un
lieux de contestation publique pour la ville. La presentation de Yves Denéchère de l'Université d'Angers a examiné les mémoires des adoptions d'enfants québècois en France depuis les années 1960, et le processus de ces personnes à retrouver leurs histoires.
Fiona Mc-Mahon from l' Université de Bourgogne explored selected writings of Robert Kroetsch and the Canadian long poem. Eszter Szenczi de l'Université de Budapest spoke about Métis autobiographies and their use as a means of healing. I presented a paper on the contested landscape of the memory of the Cape Breton Miners' Museum, the research of which was drawn from my doctoral work in Canadian Studies at Trent University.
Conference organizers also planned several exciting social events during the conference. On the evening of June 14th, we had an interesting guided visit of the Parlement de Bretagne. On June 15th, organizers also hosted a day-long excursion to the sea side town of Saint-Malo.
The conference provided an excellent opportunity to connect with international scholars conducting research on Canada. I also had the opportunity to speak with many attendees, including several graduate students, about the CSN-REC and the organization's activities and programs. In particular, this conference helped me to connect with several Quebec scholars who were also presenting at the conference. I am grateful to the CSN-REC for supporting my travel to this conference, allowing me to participate in such an engaging international Canadian Studies conference.