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| Société historique de Québec | |
|---|---|
| Name | Société historique de Québec |
| Formation | 1844 |
| Type | Historical society |
| Headquarters | Quebec City |
| Location | Quebec City, Quebec (province), Canada |
| Language | French |
| Leader title | President |
Société historique de Québec is a learned society founded in 1844 in Quebec City devoted to the study, preservation, and promotion of the history of New France, Lower Canada, and Quebec (province). The society has interacted with institutions such as the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, the Université Laval, and the Parliament of Canada while engaging with figures linked to Samuel de Champlain, Jean Talon, and François-Xavier Garneau. Over time it has contributed to public history debates involving events like the Constitution Act, 1867, the Quebec Conference (1864), and the commemoration of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham.
The society was established amid 19th-century colonial culture shaped by personalities including Lord Elgin, Louis-Joseph Papineau, George-Étienne Cartier, and John A. Macdonald; it formed contemporaneously with organizations such as the Royal Society of Canada and the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. Early activities intersected with debates on the Rebellions of 1837–1838, the legacy of Jean-Baptiste Notre-Dame-era clergy, and scholarship by historians like François-Xavier Garneau and Thomas Chapais. The society preserved manuscripts connected to explorers such as Jacques Cartier and administrators like Charles-Michel de Salaberry, and it participated in archival exchanges with the Archives Nationales de France and the British Museum. Throughout the 20th century the society engaged with cultural institutions including the National Film Board of Canada, the Canadian Museum of History, and the Musée de la civilisation. During periods of constitutional debate—Quiet Revolution, October Crisis, and referendums of 1980 Quebec referendum and 1995 Quebec referendum—the society provided historical context referenced by authors like Denis Vaugeois, Gilles Havard, and Yves Roby.
The society’s mission complements scholarly work at the Université Laval, the Université du Québec, and the Royal Ontario Museum by promoting studies on figures such as Samuel de Champlain, Marguerite Bourgeoys, Jean Talon, Louis Hébert, and events like the Seven Years' War, the War of 1812, and the Conquest of New France. It organizes lectures, seminars, and exhibitions in collaboration with the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, the Citadelle of Quebec, and municipal bodies like the City of Quebec. The society curates programming on topics ranging from the Fur trade era linked to the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company to religious history involving the Sulpicians and Jesuits. It has partnered with research centers such as the Institut d'histoire de l'Amérique française and contributed to conferences hosted by the Canadian Historical Association and the International Commission for the History of Representative and Parliamentary Institutions.
The society publishes journals, bulletins, and monographs that have cited works by historians including François-Xavier Garneau, Lionel Groulx, Paul-André Linteau, Guy Frégault, and Jean Hamelin. Its periodicals have addressed archival collections like the papers of François Bigot and the correspondence of Governor Frontenac, and they have reviewed scholarship on texts such as Histoire du Canada and Les Canadiens. Publication distribution has involved partnerships with the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec and academic presses including the University of Toronto Press and the McGill-Queen's University Press. The society’s proceedings and memoirs have featured studies of maps by Gaston Deschênes, transcriptions of colonial notarial records, and edited primary sources from collections tied to the Séminaire de Québec and the Parish registers of Quebec.
Membership historically attracted jurists, clergy, academics, and public figures such as Louis-Joseph Papineau, Charles-Borromée Genest, Olivier Le May, and more recent members from faculties at Université Laval and archives from Bibliothèque et Archives Canada. The executive structure follows models akin to the Royal Society of Canada with elected presidents, secretaries, and treasurers; notable presidents have included scholars associated with Institut canadien de Québec and affiliates of the Collège François-de-Laval. Governance incorporates liaison with municipal authorities like the City of Quebec and provincial ministries such as the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications (Québec).
The society preserves manuscripts, rare books, maps, and iconography connected to explorers Samuel de Champlain, Jacques Cartier, and colonial officials such as Louis de Buade de Frontenac and Intendant Jean Talon. Holdings include notarial acts, parish registers, military orders from the Seven Years' War, and civic records related to the Battle of the Plains of Abraham and the Siege of Quebec (1759). The collections have been catalogued in coordination with the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, the Canadian Heritage Information Network, and international repositories like the Archives Nationales (France). Conservation practices align with standards promoted by the International Council on Archives and the Canadian Conservation Institute.
The society has awarded prizes and medals recognizing contributions to Quebec historiography, echoing honors such as the Order of Canada, the Prix Léon-Gérin, and distinctions given by the Conseil supérieur de la langue française. Recipients include historians similar to Denis Vaugeois, Gilles Havard, and public intellectuals tied to projects commemorating New France heritage, restoration projects at the Fortifications of Quebec National Historic Site, and publications on the Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
Headquartered historically in central Quebec City, the society has used premises near landmarks such as the Old Quebec district, the Château Frontenac, and institutions like the Séminaire de Québec and the Petit Séminaire de Québec. It has collaborated on exhibitions at the Musée de la civilisation and events at the Bibliothèque Gabrielle-Roy and maintains research rooms accessible to scholars from institutions including the Université Laval and the National Archives of Canada.
Category:Organizations established in 1844 Category:History organizations based in Canada Category:Quebec City