Before Rita, before Katrina, there was Evangeline. And before Longfellow introduced the Acadian culture to mainstream America through his famous narrative poem in 1847, more than a century of vibrant Acadian French culture had been thriving in the Louisiana bayous. Exiled in 1755 by the English from Acadia (modern-day Nova Scotia), the Cajuns came to Louisiana, a former colony of France. Prosperous farmers in old Acadia, the Cajuns settled in the swamps and bayous of southwestern Louisiana, specifically across the Achafalaya Basin. It proved difficult farming and profoundly isolated, although many credit the seclusion with preserving the culture.

Five years ago Cajun culture — “Cajun” is a corruption of “Acadian” — grabbed hold of Karen Holden. A professor of consumer science and public affairs and associate director of its La Follette School of Public Affairs, she is a nationally known expert on Social Security, pensions and their relationship to the timing of retirement. She also does a great deal of work on the financial well-being of widows.

“The hurricanes that have done so much damage on the Gulf Coast presented some good risk and insurance examples. I definitely will discuss in class personal financial consequences of natural disasters,” she says.

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