Postcards from Acadie: Grand-Pré, Evangeline and The Acadian Identity by Barbara Le Blanc

In Postcards from Acadie, Barbara Le Blanc explores the cultural and symbolic resonance of the Grand-Pré National Historic site. Settled in the 1680s, Grand-Pré was one of the loci for the Acadian deportation in 1755. From the settlement and deportation of the early Acadians, to the mass marketing of the Dominion Atlantic Railway and the federal reshaping as a National Historic site, Grand-Pré has served “as a historical clue, a focal point, a catharsis, a catalyst, and a motivator, both for Acadians and for others.” Excavating the political and cultural symbols that have shaped Grand-Pré, Le Blanc explores the ways in which we negotiate personal and group identity. In Acadian endeavours to direct and control a sense of identity in a changing world, Grand-Pré plays a significant role by serving as a place of heritage commemoration and celebration—of past, present, and future.