francophoniethesinuousconstructionofacomplexiden.docVIP

Francophonie: the sinuous construction of a complex identity Fran?oise Massart-Piérard Berkeley, 10th of February 2005 DRAFT PAPER Introduction In a small work entitled Les identités difficiles, Alfred Grosser presents some questions which can be used as a starting point to a commented analysis of the state of the art on Francophonie. By Francophonie, we understand the overall knowledge and the rules of action specific to this very singular area. A short overview of the bibliography devoted to Francophonie (francophonie?) shows the persistence of a real concern in the speech. Indeed, the French-speaking authors tirelessly wonder: who we are; how to define us; what do we represent in the eyes of the others and in our own eyes? What do they (the others) say that we are, of which assignment are we the object and on the contrary what do we say that the others are? I. How to define Francophonie? The most difficult question to approach, in scientific terms, is undoubtedly this one: how to define the francophonie? Because, as we will have the occasion to realise, the identity of the Francophonie is particularly difficult to build. We are initially surprised by the definitions presented by the non specialized dictionaries and the encyclopaedias which content themselves with summarised and confused definitions of the Francophonie. At least, they have the merit to bring out the obvious hesitations of which the francophonie is the object. Sometimes, it refers to the French language and/or the French culture, sometimes to the community of French language or to the people belonging to this community. The Petit Robert (1992) identifies the Francophonie with the whole of the French-speaking people. The enumeration listed can only leave the reader speechless: France, Switzerland, Belgium, Africa… are indeed put on the same level. Thus, the chosen examples refer indifferently to a unilingual country, to multilingual countries and to an entire continent… The Micro