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 motivated by 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 Histoire sociale/Social History, Church History, 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 2027. 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 Mi'kmaq. I use archival and literary sources ranging from church records, to government documents, commercial ledgers, family papers, and travel accounts.