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Terra Nullius and the Doctrine of Discovery in New France

This factsheet counters the longstanding narrative put forth by historians of New France: that Indigenous peoples of the St.Lawrence were not victims of dispossession by early French corporate settlers. The factsheet explores how the concept of 'Terra Nullius' underpins histories of New France and reintroduces the Algonquian and Iroquoian language groups as sovereigns of the St.Lawrence region.

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References

Cavanagh, E. (2014). "Possession and Dispossession in Corporate New France, 1600–1663: Debunking a “Juridical History” and Revisiting Terra Nullius". Law and History Review, 32(1), pp. 97-125. DOI: 10.1017/S0738248013000679

Source Authors

Edward Cavanagh

Events

Keywords

Canada's Colonial History, Colonial Exploitation, Doctrine of Discovery, European Settlers, Indigenous Sovereignty, Interrupting Assumptions, Interrupting Colonial Narratives, Justifying Injustice, Land and Power, Land Dispossession, Language and Power, Language of Rights, Nation Building Narrative, Reclaiming History, Resource Exploitation, Settler Colonialism, Settler-Indigenous Relations, Stories and Power, Terra Nullius

Key Figures

Abenakis, Hochelagas, Hurons, Malecites, Mi'kmaq, Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Stadaconas

Locations

New France, Quebec, St. Lawrence Region, Turtle Island

Themes

Activism, History