Around and about Marius Barbeau

Book excerpt: Marius Barbeau (1883-1969) played a vital role in shaping Canadian culture in the twentieth century. Around and About Marius Barbeau extends discussion about Barbeau beyond the life and work framework by providing critical and interpretive approaches to the different aspects of Barbeau. Rooted in the premise that his cultural work - in anthropology, fine arts, music, film, folklore studies, fiction, historiography - cannot be read uni-dimensionally, this book advances the idea that, by merging disciplinary perspectives about Barbeau, evaluations and understandings of the situation around Barbeau can be deepened. The sixteen articles and eighty illustrations that comprise this book consider Barbeau's cultural work from a variety of different perspectives, each of which carries with it complex and competing dynamics, as well as a critical and subject context. Together, they present alternative stances from which Barbeau's historical situation and the implications of his work can be reflected upon today.