Institut d'histoire de l'Amérique française

The Institut d’histoire de l’Amérique française (IHAF) is a scholarly society of historians who study the history of Québec and French-speaking America. Founded in 1946 by Lionel Groulx, the institute has been a not-for-profit organization since 1970.

Organization

Founded in 1946 by nationalist historian, priest and spokesperson Lionel Groulx, the Institut d’histoire de l’Amérique française (IHAF) is a scholarly society for historians who study the history of Québec and French-speaking America. This institute is governed by a board of 12 directors who are elected to three-year terms at the institute’s annual general meeting. The institute’s members include history professors, other professional historians and individuals with a personal interest in history, from all parts of Canada and abroad. The institute also defends the professional interests of historians: it plays an active, public role in major current issues regarding the teaching of history, historical research, heritage protection and archives. The institute is a member of the Humanities and Social Sciences Federation of Canada. It publishes a journal, the Revue d'histoire de l'Amérique française, four times per year, holds an annual conference, symposiums and roundtables, and presents a number of awards to recognize excellence in historical research.

Revue d'histoire de l'Amérique française

Founded in 1947 by Lionel Groulx, the Revue d’histoire de l’Amérique française (RHAF) is a scholarly journal published four times each year. It is the first French-language journal to deal specifically with the history of French-speaking North America. Its contents include cases studies, theoretical and methodological discussions, historiographic reviews (see Historiography in French), research notes and book reviews. The journal publishes thematic issues from time to time. To be published in the journal, an article must first be approved by an editorial committee composed of a manager and four members, as well as by two external reviewers. The journal is currently distributed in over 20 countries and is available via the Érudit Internet portal. Members of the institute receive a subscription to this journal automatically.

Annual Conference

Each year the institute holds a scholarly conference, hosted by a university either in Québec or in Ontario, at which participants are invited to present papers on a specified theme. Past themes have included the history of day-to-day life, urban history, the individual in history, and the study of élites and institutions. In conjunction with this conference, the annual general meeting of the institute’s members is also held, at which various prizes are presented to recognize quality in historical research and in scholarly publications in the field of history.

Prizes

The most prestigious award presented by the institute is the Lionel Groulx Prize, for the best scholarly study of the history of Québec or French-speaking America. The winning study may have been published either in French or in English, and the prize comes with a $3,500 cash award. The Michel Brunet Prize is awarded for the best work of Québec history by a researcher under age 35 and comes with a $1,000 cash award. The author of the best article published in the RHAF receives the Guy and Lilianne Frégault Prize, with a cash award of $1,000. (This prize is sponsored by the family of the late Guy Frégault, a historian, director of the institute and senior official in the Québec government.) The Assemblée nationale du Québec Prize, awarded for the first time in 2009, honours the author of a work of political history that is distinguished by its quality and originality, the rigour of its historical research, and its accessibility to the general public. Lastly, the Louise Dechêne Prize goes to the author of the best academic thesis, published in French or English, on the history of French-speaking America.