Jacques Rousseau

Jacques Rousseau

Jacques Rousseau, botanist, ethnobiologist, ethnohistorian (b at St-Lambert, Qué 5 Oct 1905; d at Lac Ouareau, Qué 4 Aug 1970). Explorer of the Québec-Labrador peninsula and of remote regions of Québec, skilled in many natural and "human" sciences, and possessed of an encyclopedic knowledge, he produced close to 550 publications. He was founder and first secretary (1930-46) of L'Association canadienne-française pour l'avancement des sciences. He received his doctorate in science from U de M, and later became a director of its Botanical Institute (1944-56). Because of his interdisciplinary competence, he was the first director of the Human History Division of the National Museums of Canada (1956-59). His written work (observation notes, diary, reviews, articles), including numerous articles on the "Amerindiens" - a concept now in use in ethnological writings - demonstrate rare observational skills and original views. His writings reveal a breadth of scientific knowledge and are masterpieces of interdisciplinary writing, though his innovating talents were not fully recognized in his lifetime. His co-edition, with Guy Béthune, of Pehr KALM's 1749 Voyage was completed by Pierre Morisset and published in 1977.