Colby Gaudet
Cultural Historian
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SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow, Dalhousie University
LEAVINGS
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I'm an interdisciplinary researcher with a passion for studying religion, empire, and colonialism in
North America/Turtle Island. My research questions are historical in nature and focus on Christianity, Atlantic slavery, race, gender, kinship, education, and Indigenous-settler relations.
I'm also dedicated to decolonial practices and to critically reflecting on the politics of archives – the leavings of history.
With a PhD in Religion from Concordia University and a Master of Arts in Interreligious & Indigenous Studies from the Vancouver School of Theology, I have a strong academic background and I've taught several undergraduate courses on topics in North American religious history and culture. My research has been published in U.S. Catholic Historian, The Canadian Historical Review, and Acadiensis. My first book, Sacramental Communities: Kinship, Society, and Politics in the Catholic Atlantic, is expected to be published by McGill-Queen's University Press in 2026. I've presented my work at academic conferences in Canada and the United States.
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I'm currently working on the topic of Acadian race relations and cross-cultural activity in the 19th century. One of my projects addresses Acadians, African Nova Scotians, and the legacies of slavery. My other research analyzes post-deportation Acadian relations with the Mi'kmaq. I use archival and literary sources ranging from church records, to government documents, commercial ledgers, family papers, and travel accounts.