Catherine Larochelle, chercheuse membre du CHRS, a publié récemment l’article « Empire, Colonialism, and Place-Attachment in Young Minds: Quebec Students’ Imaginative Travels in the Age of the New Imperialism », paru dans The Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth.
Son article s’est mérité le prix du meilleur article Neil-Sutherland du comité d’histoire de l’enfance et de la jeunesse de la Société historique du Canada (2023-2024), en plus d’une mention honorable pour le prix Fass-Sandin du meilleur article en histoire de l’enfance et de la jeunesse de la Society for the History of Childhood and Youth.
Voici le commentaire du jury pour la mention honorable:
« The committee would like to extend an honorable mention to Catherine LaRochelle’s engaging article, which examines how imperialism and settler colonialism influenced how white anglophone and white francophone high school students in Quebec, Canada acquired geographic knowledge and imagined the world and their place in it during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Through an analysis of a wide range of primary sources in French and English, including student composition and mapmaking assignments in geography class and beyond, as well as teachers’ assessments of their work, LaRochelle demonstrates how youth were taught to celebrate explorers’ tenacity and transformation of wild spaces, viewing people and places through a lens of racial and civilizational hierarchy. Moreover, LaRochelle borrows Edward Saïd’s concept of imaginative geography to show how students internalized these lessons both inside and outside of school, forming a romanticized and deeply attached view of their homeland. This was countered with dreams of making their mark, in gender appropriate ways, as adults in all corners of the world. LaRochelle’s compelling writing and scholarship illuminate the depth of youth engagement as conductors of imperialism and settler colonialism, providing insight into young people’s inner worlds and dreams. »