Isabelle Bouchard

Isabelle Bouchard. « Des systèmes politiques en quête de légitimité: terres « seigneuriales », pouvoirs et enjeux locaux dans les communautés autochtones de la vallée du Saint-Laurent ». Thèse. Montréal (Québec, Canada), Université du Québec à Montréal, Doctorat en histoire, 2017.

Demonstrating an impressive understanding of the historical method, Isabelle Bouchard’s thesis brings to light Indigenous people’s land management who acted as “seigneurs” at Sault-Saint-Louis (Kahnawake) and Saint-François (Odanak) following the departure of the Jesuits. By taking up sources hitherto neglected in Aboriginal studies, namely notarial and judicial archives, the author reflects on the exercise of power by indigenous communities over their “domains” and their interactions with British authorities. It shows how indigenous leaders used colonial justice to establish their authority. Throughout a century (1760 to 1860), this work represents a tour de force that reveals the transformations in the relations between Aboriginal peoples and colonial authorities. If the latter are initially reluctant to intervene, they come to question the legitimacy of the political systems established by Indigenous people. Written in a clear and effective style, the thesis breaks new ground in the history of the Province of Quebec and Lower Canada, showing that, contrary to what historiography has maintained, there was no continuity of Aboriginal political systems from the 17th to the 19th century. It also helps to better understand the motivations of Indigenous people who integrated the colonial political and judicial system while trying to resist it in order to preserve their particular identity.