Myth, Symbol, and Colonial Encounter - (Religion and Beliefs) by Jennifer Reid (Paperback)

About the Book

A historical analysis of colonial Acadia from the perspective of symbolic and mythic existence that will be useful to those interested in Canadian history, native Canadian history, religion in Canada, and history of religion.

Book Synopsis

From the time of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, people of British origin have shared the area of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, traditionally called Acadia, with Eastern Canada's Algonkian-speaking peoples, the Mi'kmaq.

This historical analysis of colonial Acadia from the perspective of symbolic and mythic existence will be useful to those interested in Canadian history, native Canadian history, religion in Canada, and history of religion.

Published in English.

From the Back Cover

From the time of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, people of British origin have shared the area of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island (traditionally called Acadia) with Eastern Canada's Algonkian-speaking peoples, the Mi'kmaq. Despite nearly three centuries of interaction, these communities have largely remained alienated from one another. What were the differences between Mi'kmaq and British structures of valuation? What were the consequences of Acadia's colonization for both Mi'kmaq and British people? By examining the symbolic and mythic lives of these peoples, Reid considers the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century roots of this alienation and suggests that interaction between British and Mi'kmaq during the period was substantially determined by each group's fundamental religious need to feel rooted - to feel at home in Acadia.

Review Quotes

By examining the symbolic and mythic lives of these peoples, Reid (...) suggests that interaction between British and Mi'kmaq (...) was substantially determined by each group's fundamental religious need to feel rooted--to feel at home in Acadia-- "PUO-UOP"