Anne Trépanier

Anne Trépanier, De l’hydre au castor : imaginaire et représentations de la Confédération dans la presse de l’Amérique du Nord britannique, 1844-1867. Septentrion, 2024.

A cultural history of Confederation that uses the press to reconstruct how people understood political change at that time, Anne Trépanier’s De l’hydre au castor : Imaginaire et représentations de la Confédération dans la presse de l’Amerique du Nord britannique is an innovative work of political history. In a much-studied period whose historiography has often been dominated by nationalist teleology, Trépanier’s examination challenges many existing assumptions, providing a refreshing look at the fears and concerns associated with Confederation, particularly as it related to First Nations. The book is deeply immersive, with extensive use of primary sources like political cartoons and satires that draw on mythological figures; it is marked throughout by a close attention not simply to political ideas, but how political ideas were expressed.