A refugee in the service of Empire: The life and lessons of Paul Mascarene

The life of Paul Mascarene demonstrates the importance of religious diasporas in building the British imperial state. A Huguenot refugee who became a military officer in Nova Scotia, he attempted to make the empire a force for international Protestantism, even trying to settle some of his fellow Hug...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Owen Stanwood
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Presses Universitaires du Midi 2019-11-01
Series:Diasporas: Circulations, Migrations, Histoire
Subjects:
Online Access:http://journals.openedition.org/diasporas/4097
Description
Summary:The life of Paul Mascarene demonstrates the importance of religious diasporas in building the British imperial state. A Huguenot refugee who became a military officer in Nova Scotia, he attempted to make the empire a force for international Protestantism, even trying to settle some of his fellow Huguenots in the colony. When that plan failed, he became an ambassador to Acadian Catholics, using his French experience to try to build a Protestant empire that tolerated some degree of diversity. He did not succeed in saving the Acadians from expulsion but he showed a path forward for future imperial leaders.
ISSN:1637-5823