UMaine student to present at national Québec studies conference
University of Maine student Katherine Wing will present her research paper, “The Catholic Church: Social Center of the Franco-American,” at the 2018 American Council for Québec Studies (ACQS) Biennial Conference in November. Wing is a senior pursuing a bachelor of university studies degree with minors in Franco-American studies and Canadian studies.
Wing’s research is focused in Lewiston, Maine; Dover, New Hampshire; and Woonsocket, Rhode Island on three different states of Franco-American parishes: the Franco-American church in Lewiston is active, the one in Dover is closed and the one in Woonsocket is struggling to stay open. She interviewed second- and third-generation Franco-Americans in these communities. Wing appreciates how the research has allowed her to connect to her own Franco-American heritage.
Wing’s work is important, says Susan Pinette, director of Franco-American studies at UMaine and an associate professor of modern languages and literatures.
“Most histories of Franco America stop in the years after World War II, when New England manufacturing moved out of state, Franco-Americans moved into the suburbs, and the parochial schools (once the backbone of this ethnic community) began to close,” Pinette says. “This project aims to fill in the story of what happened after and examines how ethnic identity changes as the social support structures change.”
The primary mission of ACQS is to promote the teaching and study of Québec, Francophone Canada and Franco America, according to its website. It encourages research, fosters collaborations among researchers in the United States and Canada, and facilitates programs, visits and academic exchanges. This fall’s conference in New Orleans celebrates the 300th anniversary of the council’s founding.