The great Jacques Lacoursière is gone

Quebec historian Jacques Lacoursière recently passed away. Very generous with his time, he kindly granted us an interview, in Ottawa, when taking part in the Governor General’s History Awards in 2011.

Listen to a few words from this great man who more than deserves his place in the pantheon of history heroes.

A look back at Jacques Lacoursière’s professional life

Jacques Lacoursière is probably the most well-known historian in Quebec. Recognized as one of the finest popularizers of Quebec and Canadian history, he made a name for himself through, among other things, the popular television series Épopée en Amérique, which he created and produced with his friend, filmmaker Gilles Carle. A best-selling author, his books include Histoire populaire du Québec, a colossal work in several volumes, which won the hearts of thousands of readers.

The release of a new book by Mr. Lacoursière generally led to a frenzied reaction almost equal to that brought about by the arrival of the latest volume in the Harry Potter series.

Jacques Lacoursière certainly made his mark as a successful author but was also a guest professor at Université Laval, a radio host, and a member of several boards of directors. He also had a hand in the writing of an important educational manual aimed at high school students.

His involvement in the didactics of history was quite significant in 1996, when he led the activities of the Working Group on the Teaching of History, a committee that produced the important report Se souvenir et devenir (Remembering and Becoming).

Throughout his lifetime, Jacques Lacoursière was the winner of several prestigious awards, including the Pierre Berton and Gérard Morisset awards. He was also named a Chevalier of the Ordre national du Québec in 2002, received the Order of Canada four years later, and was decorated by the French Legion of Honour in 2008.

“Learning names and dates by heart, that is not history, it’s intellectual apery! The important thing is not knowing the names but knowing what these people did, what influence they had on the evolution of Canada. Too often, we make the teaching of history dependent on rote memorization. We have developed Pavlovian responses: Jacques Cartier — 1534, Champlain — 1608, Dollard-des-Ormeaux — 1660. This is not history! History is an evolution. It is a succession of events that allow us to explain the present.”

- Jacques Lacoursière