Joint presentation to Old Sydney Society April 23
“Historical Retrospective: Louisbourg Over Time and Louisbourg Reborn.”
The April 23 meeting of the Old Sydney Society will feature two separate but inter-twined presentations on Louisbourg. They are by Parks Canada historian Anne Marie Lane Jonah and retired Parks Canada historian, A.J.B. (John) Johnston. They will reprise well-illustrated talks they gave in France in November 2014, only this time in English.
Johnston goes first with a presentation, “What is it, this Louisbourg?” It’s a look at the ever-changing nature of Louisbourg across a broad span of time. John begins with a few personal recollections then highlights many of the different identities the once fortified French seaport has had over the span of two and a half centuries.
Anne Marie’s exploration of the history of “Louisbourg Reborn,” considers the processes that led to the recreation of Louisbourg, and our relationship with it today. As well, Anne Marie will discuss the connections between Cape Breton and La Rochelle in western France, with an overview of the cooperative projects we have undertaken in the last five years.
Johnston is the award-winning author of more than a dozen books, including two recent novels of historical fiction, the Thomas Pichon Novels (CBU Press 2012 and 2014). Anne Marie Lane Jonah is the author of French Taste in Atlantic Canada, A Gastronomic History (CBU Press 2011)
The April 23 talk will be streamed live to the internet at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/history-speaks-lecture-series