William Riguelle

William Riguelle, « « Comme c’est un animal impur, on pourra le tuer » : la gestion des porcs dans les villes du Canada pendant la période française (1608-1763) ». JCHA 34, 2 (2024).

This article examines the way that authorities in Quebec City and Montreal tolerated, regulated, and welcomed pigs in urban spaces in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Focusing on legislation and the concerns about how pigs were a risk to public health, the author skillfully shows that this was a fraught relationship. Pigs were among the first Eurasian animals imported to New France and their presence grew steadily into the mid-eighteenth century. They were an important part of the diets of French settlers while also seen as dirty, impure, and unhealthy. As a result, pigs were increasingly restricted to certain spaces in the urban environment. The editorial board was impressed with the archival research and scholarly engagement that Dr. Riguelle mobilized to making an innovative argument about anthrozoology in early Canada. The innovation of this article lies in the weaving together of urban, environmental, and health histories and serves as a stellar example for researchers in a burgeoning field.