Olivia's ARIA Project: Monnaie de Carte en Nouvelle-France
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I was very interested in doing research through the Arts Research Internship Award, as it seemed to be the best option for the opportunity to pursue research under a professor. Professor Catherine Desbarats’ research on understanding the breakdown of society in wartimes through court cases drew my attention and when she accepted me as a research assistant I was very glad. I was intrigued by her use of judicial archives as a means to convey the beliefs, values, and mindsets of the common, everyday people who are often forgotten in archives and thus in history. I was also eager to learn about paleography, as it is a skill which is not typically taught at an undergraduate level but is vital to the study of history and Classical studies, which I intend to pursue at a higher level.
My ARIA project consisted of transcribing three court cases involving counterfeiting which took place in New France during the Seven Years’ War, as well as writing a resume of each one. I wanted to obtain a better grasp of the historical situation in New France during the war and familiarize myself with the study of old documents and decoding various types of handwritings, syntaxes, and spellings. I was aware of the general history and of the broad chain of events, but I wanted a more in-depth understanding of what it meant to live in New France in this period. Judicial archives were one of the best possible mediums for that as they conveyed word-for-word accounts of the lives and voices of everyday individuals – in this case, soldiers.
During my ARIA, I had many highs and lows. For instance, the first time I was able to transcribe a full page without checking my paleography dictionary or highlighting words to attempt to decode them later, I was absolutely thrilled. The various moments in which the voices of the people within the trials stood out from the legalese and the formulaic language were also very rewarding – even if it only first happened on the 44th page of a 47-page trial! I enjoyed some of the small mysteries which remained unsolved as well, be they illegible words or a simple soldier using a paraph, which was typically only developed by more renowned individuals. I also incredibly valued working under a professor and doing real research. This experience was truly worthwhile and I learned many new ideas and skills I will value and utilize for many years to come.
Of course, I also had some more challenging moments. For instance, the first week was complex and I encountered many difficulties, as I was learning new terminology, words, conjugations, syntax, abbreviations, etc. I also had to understand how to transcribe old documents in the correct form and format the documents correctly. Thankfully, my supervising professor, Professor Desbarats, was available and able to help me muddle through the first few days until I was able to acclimate myself to these types of documents and how the words and abbreviations worked. The documents themselves, however, also posed problems. Some pages held words which were clear and obvious, but many others did not. Scribbles routinely obscured words, some pages were cut off and prevented me from being able to read part of them, and other pages were damaged and thus illegible. Some of these issues were unfortunately unavoidable and held no real solution, but I was sometimes able, due to the very repetitive and formulaic form of trials, to hypothesize a decent inference as to the damaged and illegible contents.
This summer, I was immersed in research and I was entirely engaged. I already intended to pursue a PhD and a career in academia, but this experience has solidified my decision. I enjoyed the research very much and this has proved to me that my goal is the right one. The skills I learned through this research internship will definitely help me in the future, be it the paleography skills this has taught me or the determination that came from analyzing a blurred word until it finally became clear. I have also learned a lot about how to research and study history and I will use this knowledge for my entire academic and professional career. My experience with research has been very positive and enriching and I am lucky that my supervising professor was generous with her advice and help throughout the summer.
I would like to thank Mr. Mark Gallop for his generous contribution which allowed me to pursue this amazing opportunity. This summer was incredibly intriguing and remarkable, and that was only possible because of Mr. Gallop’s kindness.
