Carl Anthony Brasseaux ( pseudonym: Antoine Bourque; born August 19, 1951) is an American historian and educator. He specialized in French Colonial North America, particularly of Louisiana and the Cajun people. He helped to pioneer the field of Cajun history, and his published works on this topic represent the first serious, in-depth examination of the history of the

ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

. He taught at University of Louisiana at Lafayette, from 1975 until 2010.

Early life and education

Brasseaux was born on August 19, 1951 in Opelousas, the seat of St. Landry Parish, in southern Louisiana. He is Cajun and grew up in the town of

Sunset Sunset, also known as sundown, is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon due to Earth's rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth (except the North and South poles), the equinox Sun sets due west at the moment of both the spring ...

, Louisiana. He received both his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (then named the University of Southwestern Louisiana). He obtained his doctorate in North American studies at the

Paris Diderot University Paris Diderot University, also known as Paris 7 (french: Université Paris Diderot), was a French university located in Paris, France. It was one of the inheritors of the historic University of Paris, which was split into 13 universities in 197 ...

."Brasseaux among Top USL Honorees," ''Daily Advertiser'' (Lafayette, La.), 23 April 1995.

Career

Brasseaux served at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette from 1975 until 2010; where his roles at the university included the

assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to tak ...

of Center for Cultural and Eco-Tourism, from 1975 to 2001, and as director from 2001 to 2010; as the curator of colonial records collection from 1980 to 2010; an adjunct assistant professor from 1987 to 1990; assistant professor from 1990 to 1998; and a professor of history from 1998 to 2010. At the Center for Louisiana Studies, Brasseaux was involved with Louisiana Digital Folklore Archive. This large collection includes the Center for

Acadian The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...

and Creole Folklore, which is regarded as the largest compilation of media resources pertaining to these two south Louisiana ethnic groups.

Awards and honors

In 1991, the French government awarded Brasseaux the title of ''Chevalier'' in the '' Order des Palmes Académiques'', an honor reserved for those whose scholarly pursuits are deemed to contribute significantly to French culture. Brasseaux received the 2003 Louisiana Writer Award for his enduring contribution to the "literary intellectual heritage of Louisiana." The award was presented to him by then

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Kathleen Blanco Kathleen Marie Blanco (née Babineaux; December 15, 1942 – August 18, 2019) was an American politician who served as the 54th Governor of Louisiana from January 2004 to January 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the first and, t ...

, on November 8, 2003, at a ceremony held at the 2nd annual Louisiana Book Festival in

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...

Bibliography

Brasseaux has published more than 30 books, many of which are history-related and he has written fiction under the pseudonym Antoine Bourque, including: * * * * * * *

References

External links