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Nathan Rabalais is the Joseph P. Montiel Endowed Professor of Francophone Studies. He specializes in the folklore, literature, and popular culture of francophone North America, particularly in �޻���ֱ�� and Acadian communities of maritime Canada. He currently serves as a Fellow of the Center for �޻���ֱ�� Studies and Editor in Chief of the scholarly journal, Études Francophones.

His most recent articles and �޻���ֱ��-length documentary Finding Cajun (2019) focus on the intersection of language and identity in �޻���ֱ�� and the Acadian diaspora. With the support of an NEH fellowship, he recently published Folklore Figures of French and Creole �޻���ֱ�� (2021) with LSU Press. Nathan is also active in creative writing; his poetry can be in a number of literary journals as well as in his book of poetry, Le Hantage: un ouvrage de souvenance (2018) with Éditions Tintamarre. His current projects include a chapter on meme culture and Acadian/Cajun identity in the edited volume Repenser l’Acadie dans le monde; a book project on the folklore of Avoyelles Parish; and an ecocritical approach to the intersection of identity and food in �޻���ֱ��.

B.A. in Music (Theory/Comp. and Guitar performance), 2007
University of �޻���ֱ�� at Lafayette

M.A. in French, 2011
University of �޻���ֱ�� at Lafayette

Ph.D. in French Studies, 2015
Tulane University

Doctorat en lettres et langues, 2015
Université de Poitiers

Dr. Rabalais's research interests include:

• French and Creole in �޻���ֱ��
• Literature and culture of Acadia
• North American French
• Folklore
• Translation
• Creative writing

Opportunities for Student Research/Collaboration:

Multiple opportunities are available through publications with graduate students through co-writing articles and regular opportunities for collaboration on our two journals:

• Études Francophones (a scholarly journal)
• Feux Follets (our creative writing journal in French)

Books 

• Folklore Figures of French and Creole �޻���ֱ�� 2021  �޻���ֱ�� State University Press, Single-author monograph Baton Rouge: �޻���ֱ�� State University Press, 2021
• Le Hantage: un ouvrage de souvenance 2018 Creative work, original French-language poetry Shreveport: Éditions Tintamarre, 2018 

Peer-Reviewed Publications

• “Elizabeth Brandon (1913-2002): de Volkovysk à Vermilion”, for Rabaska journal, vol. 21, 2023: 177-185.
• “Franco-�޻���ֱ��is: Quels contours?,” co-written with Sara Le Menestrel, in Études francophones, 35 (2023 for fall 2022): vii-xxii. 
• “Franco-louisianais ? Identifications plurielles et déclinaisons contemporaines,” special issue of Études Francophones, guest edited with Sara Le Menestrel, issue 35, fall 2022 (published in February 2023 by UL Press).
• Three articles in the �޻���ֱ�� Endowment for the Humanities encyclopedia 64 Parishes: “�޻���ֱ�� Folktales,” “Cajun Folklore,” and “Creole Folklore.” Published on February 9, 2023.
• “Introduction” co-written with Emma Harlet  Mercier, Alfred. L’Habitation Saint-Ybars. Shreveport: Éditions Tintamarre, 2022. (pp. 7-28).
• “L’identité dans la littérature franco-louisianaise : une troisième ère ?”, Jonathan Livernois (ed.), Écrire pour gouverner, écrire pour contester, Québec, Presses Université Laval, coll.  « CEFAN », 2021: 7-28. 
• “Francophone �޻���ֱ��’s Cultural Flows/Les flux culturels de la Louisiane francophone”, co-written with Clint Bruce and Robin White”. Introduction to special issue. Quebec Studies, 70 (2020): 3-6.
• “Portrait: Barry Ancelet, un ambassadeur de l’Acadie tropicale” Rabaska, 18 (2020) : 231-244.
• “La Fête-Dieu du Vermilion en Louisiane” Rabaska, 17 (2019): 189–196.
• “Représentations de Jean-le-Sot dans le contexte francophone” Port Acadie, 31 (2018): 7-22.
• “February is no bastard child: Jules Choppin’s Entretien sur les 12 mois de l’année” �޻���ֱ�� Folklife Journal, vol. 39 (2015 for 2018): 23-32.
• “Roquelaure: A New Perspective on �޻���ֱ�� Folklore’s Master Thief” �޻���ֱ�� Folklore Miscellany 27 (2017): 29-52.
• “Acadie(s) divergente(s): langue, identité et poésie en Louisiane et au Canada maritime” Sites, Contemporary French and Francophone Studies, 21:4 (2017): 431-439.
• “Le Grand réveil acadien: une nouvelle mise en relief de la présence acadienne en Louisiane” Rabaska, 14 (2016): 7-22.
• “Masques of Conquest: A Comparative Analysis of Lescarbot’s ‘Le Théâtre de Neptune en la Nouvelle France’ and Chapman’s ‘Memorable Masque’”.  Equinoxes, Brown University, Providence, RI 

Poetry

• “Congrès à mon gré (Hub City duet)” and “Coucher de soleil sur Sunset” Feux follets: Chemins et cheminements, 2020, University of �޻���ֱ�� at Lafayette (pp. 29 and 70)
• “Acadies parallèles” Ancrages, 21 (2019), special issue Acadie24
• “Jean sait rien”, “A is for Pomme”, and “Krewe de vous” Feux follets: Relever, 2019, University of �޻���ֱ�� at Lafayette (pp. 15, 36-37, and 69)
• “Sors ta langue” and “Elle est partie, elle est partout”  L'Année francophone internationale, 27 (2019): 104-105.

Documentary Film

• Finding Cajun, dir. Nathan Rabalais 2019 Currently distributed by Amazon Prime and �޻���ֱ�� Public Broadcasting

NON-PEER-REVIEWED

• “The Life and Work of Elizabeth Brandon” 64 Parishes magazine, �޻���ֱ�� Endowment for the Humanities, Winter 2023, pp. 34-40.
• Back cover texts for recent publications such as Bayou Zen (David Cheramie, Shreveport: Tintamarre, 2022) and Parcours louisianais (ed. Evelyne Bornier and Meg Marshall, Lafayette: UL Press, 2022)
• “La Louisiane” - a brief overview of the French-language literary production of �޻���ֱ�� for the digital library Bibliothèque des Amériques sponsored by the Centre de la Francophonie des Amériques. 
• Guillorel, Eva, Patrice Nicolas, Nathan Rabalais. “Du patrimoine musical aux mèmes sur Internet. Blog: Repenser l'Acadie dans le monde.  https://www.repenserlacadie.com/post/guillorel-nicolas-rabalais-du-patrimoine-musical-aux-m%C3%A8mes-sur-internet
• “Le français louisianais : mythes et mouvements

• Advance Faculty Award Grant for new audio studio in Modern Languages ($5,000)
• Friends of the Humanities grant for �޻���ֱ�� French oral history project ($750) 2023
• 1-month Faculty residency at Université de Poitiers 2023
• Faculty Research Travel Grant ($1,000) 2023
• Outstanding Graduate Master’s Mentor Award 2023
• Friends of the Humanities grant for �޻���ֱ�� literature course development ($300) 2023
• Friends of the Humanities grant for �޻���ֱ�� French course development ($1,000) 2022
• Jamie and Thelma Guilbeau Special Collections Research Fellowship ($500) 2022
• Author of the month – Centre de la Francophonie des Amériques 2019
• Richard Guidry Cajun and Creole Language Fund ($1,320) 2019
• Director's Choice Award at Cinema on the Bayou for Finding Cajun documentary 2019
• NEH Fellowship (12 months) – $50,400 2018
• Summer faculty research grant (William & Mary) 2016 and 2017
• Fulbright-Chateaubriand Dissertation Fellowship (8-month award) 2014-2015
• Selected for an exchange program between Tulane University
• and the École normale supérieure, Paris (declined) 2014-2015
• Travel grant, Department of French and Italian, Tulane University 2013
• Research grants, Modern Languages Department, UL Lafayette 2010-2011
• Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship, Strasbourg, France 2007-08
• Theodore Presser Award, monetary award ($4,000) for excellence in music studies 2007
• Outstanding Graduate, College of the Arts, University of �޻���ֱ�� at Lafayette 2007