The Jesuit Relations by Micah True
The Jesuit Relations, a series of annual reports produced between 1632 and 1673 detailing the experiences of Society of Jesus missionaries in what is now Eastern Canada, have long been an influential source on the history of New France and encounters between European settlers and Indigenous Peoples. The question of what exactly the Relations are, and who had a hand in composing the versions that circulated, has been given far less attention. The Jesuit Relations challenges conventional descriptions of these annual reports as narratives crafted solely by Jesuit missionaries. Micah True demonstrates that they were in fact shaped by a diverse array of contributors, including Indigenous people lay settlers, nuns, editors in Paris, and readers in France. The Relations were also the product of contextual factors, he explains, such as the longstanding Jesuit epistolary tradition, the annual rhythms of the shipping schedule, and the Parisian book trade, and he details the connections between the published Relations and other texts written at the time. Tracing the history of readers' encounters with the Relations, True analyzes the three major editions that have appeared since the mid-nineteenth century, showing how each of them presents the reports differently, and how these differences have influenced scholars' understanding of the texts. Shining a new light on the Jesuit Relations, True reveals a richer and more complex picture of a primary source that has played a major role in public understanding of the colonial history of North America.“This is a wonderful book filled with fascinating insightsIts nuanced, cool, and understated tone is distinctive and elegant. True provides a dizzying range of new ways to think about and appreciate the Relations as sources.” Emma Anderson, University of Ottawa
Micah True is professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies at the University of Alberta.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780228024644 |
| ISBN 10 | 0228024641 |
| Title | The Jesuit Relations |
| Author | Micah True |
| Series | Mcgill-Queen's Studies In Early Canada Avant Le Canada |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | McGill-Queen's University Press |
| Year published | 2025-06-10 |
| Number of pages | 318 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |