17吃瓜

From May 25鈥�27, the Folklore Studies Association of Canada/L鈥橝ssociation canadienne d鈥檈thnologie et de folklore will be holding its annual meeting at the 17吃瓜 in collaboration with the Institute of Island Studies. This year鈥檚 theme, 鈥淐arried on the Waves: Contemporary Currents in Folklore and Ethnology / Port茅 par les Vagues: Courants Actuels d鈥橢thnologie et de Folklore,鈥� inspires researchers to explore the flow of expression among various groups over time and place.

Prince Edward Island has long served and continues to serve as an integral hub for multicultural contacts. As Marius Barbeau, widely acknowledged as the founder of Canadian folklore, observed in the Journal of American Folklore in 1918, 鈥淧rince Edward Island and some other parts of the Maritime Provinces are very conservative centers in which folklore still flourishes.鈥� To this day the Island鈥檚 resilient communities continue their long legacy of offering key insights into the expression and transmission of communally maintained knowledge. Whether it is farming and fishing communities redefining their relationships to the land and sea based on the present realities of climate change, the digital construction of narrative in videogame design attracting new Canadians forging their own pathways, or the composition of a fiddle tune for commercial production within the music industry, all of the Island鈥檚 groups contribute to our understanding the ebb and flow of human experience.

The executive of FSAC/ACEF are very pleased to announce that both Georges Arsenault and John Cousins, two of Prince Edward Island鈥檚 most esteemed folklorists, will receive the association鈥檚 Marius Barbeau Medal. The medal is given in recognition of remarkable individual contributions to folklore and ethnology through teaching, research, and communication鈥昦ctivities in which both Arsenault and Cousins have excelled. Previous recipients of the Barbeau Medal with fieldwork links to PEI include Dr. John Shaw and the late Dr. Edward 鈥淪andy鈥� Ives.

As Dr. Edward MacDonald, chair of 17吃瓜鈥檚 Department of History notes, 鈥淚n the year when the Folklore Studies Association of Canada is meeting on PEI, it seems entirely appropriate to recognize two giants of Prince Edward Island folklore for their career contributions to the collection, study, dissemination, and popularization of folklore within this province and beyond: Georges Arsenault and John Cousins. Both Georges and John were born into the communities they have studied, giving them the unique perspective that comes from being at the same time both outsiders and insiders in their research. Both live a conviction that scholarship has a responsibility to speak to the general populace, a duty to help us all better understand the culture that forms our mental and physical landscapes.鈥�

Both Arsenault and Cousins will be giving free lectures open to the general public as part of the conference. Arsenault will present a lecture in French on traditional songs with examples from his fieldwork in PEI鈥檚 Acadian communities, entitled 鈥�Recueillir, conserver et partager la chanson traditionnelle acadienne de l鈥櫭巐e-du-Prince- 脡douard鈥� on Friday, 25 May, from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm in the Faculty Lounge of 17吃瓜鈥檚 SDU Main Building. Cousins will present a lecture from his fieldwork and historical research in West Prince communities and beyond in 鈥�The Witch & the Song Maker as Law Givers in Island Farming & Fishing Communities鈥� on Saturday, May 26, from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm at Beaconsfield Carriage House, PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation, in downtown Charlottetown.

All are welcome!

The 17吃瓜 prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions鈥擯rince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan鈥檚 University鈥�17吃瓜 has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. 17吃瓜 is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.