ConU Prof Wins Trudeau Fellowship

Esteemed Quebecer and Acadian Historian Honoured

NewsYann Geoffroy — Published October 28, 2011

Concordia history professor Ronald Rudin was one of four people to earn the Trudeau Fellowship on Oct. 17.

A public historian, Rudin’s research focuses on the economic and cultural histories of the Quebecois and the Acadians.

Rudin created a smartphone application which will tell the stories of the 1,200 people whose land was expropriated for the creation of the Kouchibouguac National Park on the east coast of New Brunswick in 1969.

The app will allow the stories of the displaced to be told in their own voices, and on the sites of their former homes.

As a parallel project, he is creating an interactive map with audio clips and videos to further enhance the experience.

“The nice thing about this award is that there are no strings attached,” said Rudin of the $225,000 that come with the fellowship.

Rudin wants to use the funds to develop the Kouchibouguac project into a film. “People see new technology as an end in itself, but my responsibility is finding new audiences without dumbing down the story,” he said.

Rudin has also published a website on the construction of collective Acadian historical memory, Remembering Acadie