Mark Paul Richard

Mark Paul Richard is the associate director of the Center for the Study of Canada/Institute on Quebec Studies at the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh.

Loyal but French
The Negotiation of Identity by French-Canadian Descendants in the United States

Mark Paul Richard

By focusing on patterns of immigration and acculturation in a small industrial city in the northeastern United States, Mark Paul Richard off ers a noteworthy look at the ways in which French-Canadians negotiated their identity in the United States and provides new insights into the ways in which immigrants "Americanize."

Richard’s work challenges prevailing notions of "assimilation." As he shows, “acculturation” better describes the roundabout process by which
some ethnic groups join their host society. He argues that, for more than a century, the French- Canadians in Lewiston, Maine, pursued the twin objectives of ethnic preservation and acculturation. These were not separate goals but rather intertwined processes. Underscored with statistics compiled by the author, Loyal but French portrays the French-Canadian history of Lewiston, from the 1880s through the 1990s, in this light. With a wealth of data, the insights of a professional historian, and the
sensitivity of a "local," Richard offers a new conceptualization of ways that
immigrants become "Americans."

Reviews

"...a scholarly, heavily researched study, that nonetheless remains accessible to readers of all backgrounds." - Midwest Review

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"The work of Mark Paul Richard is refreshing and sheds light on the dynamics of the integration process of these immigrants in U.S. society....reveals specific patterns of immigrant integration that are quite useful to better understand New England's immigrant reality." - Journal of American History, September 2009