At the Ocean’s Edge offers a vibrant account of Nova Scotia’s colonial history, situating it in an early and dramatic chapter in the expansion of Europe. Between 1450 and 1850, various processes – sometimes violent, often judicial, rarely conclusive – transferred power first from Indigenous societies to the French and British empires, and then to European settlers and their descendants who claimed the land as their own.

This book not only brings Nova Scotia’s struggles into sharp focus but also unpacks the intellectual and social values that took root in the region. By the time that Nova Scotia became a province of the Dominion of Canada in 1867, its multicultural peoples, including Mi’kmaq, Acadian, African, and British, had come to a grudging, unequal, and often contested accommodation among themselves. Written in accessible and spirited prose, the narrative follows larger trends through the experiences of colourful individuals who grappled with expulsion, genocide, and war to establish the institutions, relationships, and values that still shape Nova Scotia’s identity.

Prizes

Short-listed for Atlantic Book Award for Scholarly Writing Atlantic Book Awards Society 2021 (Canada)

"At the Ocean’s Edge is a very human story with individuals being allowed to tell their own stories—not simply the stories of the great and the good, but also the lesser saints and scoundrels, of which there are a good number, especially in the early European settlement period." -- H.T. Holman * The Northern Mariner, Vol. XXX, No. 3 *
"At the Ocean's Edge is Conrad’s ambitious effort to bring fresh eyes to the province’s story by incorporating the latest research and insights as well as marginalized voices and points of view. It's a resounding success." -- Dean Jobb, University of King's College * Canada’s History *

Margaret Conrad is professor emerita in the History Department at University of New Brunswick.