About Memorialogy
Memorialogy is both a field of study and a living archive. Coined by Dr. André M. Levesque in his doctoral research, the term describes a new interdisciplinary discipline that combines the study of memorials and their associated commemorative practices — how societies remember, honour, and make meaning from the past.
This site serves as a calendar-driven exploration of commemoration. Each entry is tied to a specific date — the anniversary of an event, a day of remembrance, or a moment in history worth reflecting upon — and rises to the top as its date approaches, creating a cyclical archive that breathes with the rhythm of the year.
Dr. André M. Levesque at Currie Hall, Royal Military College of Canada, 2024
Organization
International Society for Commemoration,
Memorials & Other Monuments
Founded in 2014 by Dr. André M. Levesque, the ISCMM is a non-profit learning organization composed of academics, professionals, students, and others working in the field of commemoration. Memorialogy is its public-facing journal and archive.
The Author
Dr. André M. Levesque, OMM, OOnt, CD, FRSA, is a Canadian historian, geographer, former public servant, and retired military officer. He is recognized as a pioneer in the field of memorialogy and has spent decades advancing how nations understand and practice commemoration.
Born and raised in Ottawa, Levesque completed a bachelor's degree and master's degree in geography at Carleton University before earning a PhD in history from University College Cork, National University of Ireland, in 2013. His doctoral thesis — “Redefining military memorials and commemoration and how they have changed since the 19th century with a focus on Anglo-American practice” — has been downloaded over 44,500 times and established memorialogy as a distinct academic discipline.
Military Service
Levesque served 35 years in the Canadian Armed Forces Army Reserves, from 1974 until his retirement at the rank of lieutenant-colonel in 2008. He initially served with the Governor General's Foot Guards before transferring to the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (Duke of Edinburgh's Own). It was during his military service — meeting veterans from the Second World War and the Korean War — that he became inspired to devote himself to preserving their histories and the broader practice of commemoration.
Commemoration & Public Service
As a public servant, Levesque served as project lead for Operation MEMORIA, the national effort to repatriate Canada's Unknown Soldier from Vimy, France to Ottawa in May 2000. He was also the project manager who created Canada's National Military Cemetery at Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa, dedicated by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson on June 28, 2001.
In 2001, he led a partnership between the Organization of Military Museums of Canada, the Department of National Defence, Veterans Affairs Canada, and various schools, youth, and veterans' organizations to create the National Inventory of Canadian Military Memorials — a comprehensive database now maintained by Veterans Affairs Canada with more than 9,800 memorials catalogued across Canada and internationally.
As the Canadian Armed Forces' first Director of Honours and Recognition, Levesque led the most significant overhaul of the military honours system since the Second World War. He oversaw the awarding of over 200,000 medals and created 15 operational medals, ribbons and bars — including the Sacrifice Medal, the South-West Asia Service Medal, and the General Campaign Star. He also chaired the Victoria Cross Production Planning Group, ensuring Canada's highest decoration for military gallantry contains a piece of the original Victoria Cross gunmetal from England.
From 2013 to 2016, as Director General of Commemoration at Veterans Affairs Canada, he organized national and international programs marking the 100th anniversary of the First World War and the 75th anniversary of the Second World War. He also led a joint effort with the Government of France to identify and present the Legion of Honour to all living Commonwealth veterans who participated in the liberation of France during the Second World War — resulting in approximately 7,300 veterans being recognized, including 5,500 from Britain, 1,400 from Canada, 338 from Australia, and 38 from New Zealand.
Current Roles
Levesque chairs the International Society for Commemoration, Memorials, and other Monuments (ISCMM), a non-profit learning organization he founded in 2014, composed of academics, professionals, students, and others working in the field of commemoration. He serves as Delegate General of Le Souvenir français au Canada and is founding president of Monument Amicitia France-Canada, which commemorates the historical friendship between France and Canada.
In 2020, he was appointed as chair of the Ontario Honours Advisory Council. He previously served as Chancellor of the Priory of Canada of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, and as a visiting scholar at the Royal Military College of Canada.
Honours & Recognition
Levesque was inducted into the Order of Ontario in 2020 for his work as a “pioneer of memorialogy.” In 2024, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal acknowledged his contributions during a ceremony honouring veterans of Canada and France attended by both Attal and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
- Order of Ontario (2020)
- Order of Ottawa (2023)
- Knight, Legion of Honour — France (2017)
- Knight, National Order of Merit — France (2012)
- Knight, Order of Arts and Letters — France (2006)
- Officer, Order of Military Merit — Canada (2006)
- Knight of Justice, Order of Saint John (2014)
- Commander's Cross with Swords, pro Merito Melitensi (2024)
- Freedom of the City of London (2024)
- Honorary LL.D, Royal Military College of Canada (2024)
- Fellow, Royal Society of Arts (2015)
Arms of André M. Levesque, granted by the Canadian Heraldic Authority in 1996.
Motto: Memoria — “Memory”
About This Site
Whether it's a war memorial in a small town, a national day of observance, or a quiet plaque on a street corner, every act of commemoration tells a story about what we value and who we choose to honour. The entries on this site explore those stories — the monuments, ceremonies, and traditions that shape how we understand our past and our place in it.
Browse all entries by date in the Archive, or return to the Home page to see what's coming up next on the calendar.