Since the return of the Acadians in exile to Nova Scotia in the 1760s, there are still four Acadian communities where the French language is widely used. They are found in the southwestern part of the province, along St. Mary’s Bay (Municipality of Clare) and in the Par-en-Bas area (Municipality of Argyle), and in Cape Breton, in the Chéticamp area and Isle Madame. The other Acadian communities live dispersed in predominantly English-speaking environments where the use of French is a minority or even marginal.

Little known outside their province, these bilingual communities, especially the four main ones targeted above, struggle on a daily basis to preserve their Acadian and Francophone culture. It is to make their turbulent history and their astonishing cultural and economic vitality better known to a wide audience that this website was designed for the French national association France-Canada.

So how can we usefully support the communities of Clare, Argyle, Chéticamp and Isle Madame, as well as the other Acadian communities, in promoting their history and culture? First, for each of the four main communities, an original historical portrait highlights key moments in its community history. Second, for the other Acadian communities, where the French language is now a minority, the historical portraits instead highlight their Francophone heritage. Finally, contemporary profiles highlight remarkable Francophone Acadians, throughout the province, particularly in the arts, culture, sports, science, and business.

In addition to these bilingual portraits and profiles, a separate generic article reveals the long struggle of Nova Scotia’s Acadians for public education in French.

Happy reading…

Header image: Chéticamp fishing fleet (Author Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0 license).