David Francoeur

In 2008, David Francoeur graduated "With Distinction" from Queen's University with a major in History, and is currently entering the second year of his MA in Modern Chinese history under the supervision of Dr. Emily Hill. In 2007, David spent a semester abroad studying at Fudan University in Shanghai, where his fascination with Chinese history and culture was first provoked and since led to a professional interest.

David's archival research has focused on Canada's controversial relations with China during its War of Resistance against Japan (1937-1945) - often forgotten amidst Euro-centered studies of the "Second World War". Entering his second year of Graduate Studies, David has begun researching how new electronic media like Wikipedia and Amazon may be interacting with the publication of recent sensational pseudo-histories to create what can be termed the "Cult of Monster Mao" - a growing majority of non-specialists who see the Chairman as a callous, calculating, inhumane, power-hungry monster who contributed nothing to China. He plans to return to China to further his language studies with the gracious financial assistance of the Embassy of China and the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs.

Publications

Francoeur, David. "Blitzkrieg Appropriation: Tracing the Concealed Roots of the Famous Formula." The Canadian Army Journal 10.3 (2007): 56-64.

(forthcoming) Francoeur, David. "A Limited Partnership: Canadian Assistance to China during the Sino-Japanese War of 1937-1945." Queen's University. August 2009.

Conferences

March 2010. McGill-Queen's Graduate Conference in History. University of McGill, Montréal.

August 2009. Re-assessing Chiang Kai-shek: An International Dialogue. Queen's University, Kingston