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SPEAKER SERIES: CHARMAINE NELSON

1/31/2012

 
Picture
French version will follow.

 “ ‘…the Canadian inhabitants are remarkably fond of dancing’: Reading the African Musicians in George Heriot’s Print ‘Minuets of the Canadians’ (1807)”

Please join us for the next EAHR Speaker Series event on Thursday January 31st 2012, from 6:30pm – 8:00 pm in room EV-1.615, for a special presentation by Dr. Charmaine Nelson (Associate Professor, Dept. Art History and Communication Studies, McGill University), featuring a fascinating discussion on 19th century Quebec society, Africans and slavery in Quebec, and visual culture and the representation of Africans through George Heriot’s print ‘Minuets of the Canadians’ (1807).

Published as one of 28 prints in George Heriot’s illustrated book Travels through the Canadas… (1807), the foldout print Minuets of the Canadians is an intriguing image of Quebec social interaction. The image depicts a scene of merriment; a dance at which a large group of mainly white men and women have gathered to dance the minuet. However, the presence of three black male musicians amongst the large group of merry-makers calls attention not only to the little known practice of Canadian slavery, but to the central role of black males as musicians for their white owners’ pleasure/entertainment in various locations across the Americas. Furthermore, the black musicians are joined by two white males indicating a level of musical hybridization and cooperation, likely necessitated by the smaller numbers of enslaved Africans in Quebec when compared to other tropical sites of slavery. This talk will explore the visual representation of the black trio as an indication of the resilience of African musical traditions, which surviving the Middle Passage, prolifically shaped the new hybrid forms of expressive culture in the Americas (including Quebec and Canada). It will also explore the prevalence and implications of an insidious white imperial gaze within the context of African expressive cultural continuity.

Charmaine Nelson is an Associate Professor of Art History, in the Department of Art History and Communication Studies at McGill University, Montreal. Producing ground-breaking contributions to the fields of the Visual Culture of Slavery, Race and Representation and Black Canadian Studies, Nelson’s research, teaching interests include postcolonial and black feminist scholarship, critical (race) theory, Trans Atlantic Slavery Studies and Black Diaspora Studies. Her work examines Canadian, American, European and Caribbean art and culture.

Sarah C. de Montigny and Geneviève Wallen
EAHR Media coordinators

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 “ ‘…the Canadian inhabitants are remarkably fond of dancing’: Reading the African Musicians in George Heriot’s Print ‘Minuets of the Canadians’ (1807)”

Veuillez nous joindre jeudi le 31 janvier 2013 pour notre prochain événement EAHR Speaker Series de 6:30pm – 8:00 pm dans la salle EV-1.615. Durant cette présentation spéciale, Dr. Charmaine Nelson (Professeure, associée Dept. histoire de l’art et études en communication, Université McGill), discutera de la société québécoise du 19e siècle. Par le biais de cette discussion, il sera question de l’historique méconnu de la présence Africaine et de l’esclavage au Québec au travers de la culture visuelle de l’époque et l’ouvrage de George Heriot ‘Minuets of the Canadians’ (1807).

Minuets of the Canadians, l’une des 28 estampes du livre illustré Travels through the Canadas… (1807) par George Heriot, illustre une intrigante scène sur les coutumes québécoises de cette période. L’image présente un événement festif, en effet, on y retrouve un large groupe composé d’hommes et de femmes caucasiens rassemblés en formation afin de danser le Menuet. Cependant, la présence de trois musiciens noirs parmi un groupe de comédiens souligne la pratique méconnue de l’esclavage en territoire Canadien, ainsi que le rôle qu’occupaient les hommes noirs en tant que musiciens de récréation pour les propriétaires au sein de plusieurs plantations à travers l’Amérique. Par ailleurs, les musiciens noirs de cette estampe sont accompagnés par deux hommes blancs indiquant ainsi une hybridation musicale découlant d’une coopération nécessaire à cause du nombre restreint d’esclaves Africains au Québec. Donc, cette conférence explorera la représentation visuelle de ce trio de musiciens qui incarne la survivance des traditions musicales Africaine par les voies de l’hybridation suite à une migration forcée. Cette adaptation a donc créé une nouvelle expression culturelle au sein des Amériques (incluant le Québec et le Canada). De plus, cette session traitera de la prévalence et les implications de l’insidieux regard impérialiste dans le cadre de la continuité de l’expression culturelle africaine.

Charmaine Nelson est une professeure associée en histoire de l’art en le department d’histoire de l’art et etudes en communication à l’université McGill. Elle a produit des recherches avant-gardistes qui ont contribuées en les domains académiques cernant la culture visuelle de l’esclavage et la représentation ethnique et les études Afro-Canadiennes. Charmaine Nelson centre ses études sur les discours traitant du post colonialisme, du féminisme noir, de théories critiques sur les relations raciales, de l’esclavagisme trans-atlantique et la diaspora noire. Son travail examine l’art et la culture des Canadiens, Américains, Européens and Caribéens.

Sarah C. de Montigny and Geneviève Wallen
Coordinatrice media pour EAHR

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  • EAHR | Research Chair
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