A Faulty Francophonie: Language, Culture, & Migration
Start Date
August 2024
End Date
August 2024
Location
ALT 205
Abstract
Migration is a widespread phenomenon. According to a rational perspective, migration occurs when the benefits of moving to live elsewhere outweigh the benefits of staying put. Or a more likely, realistic phrasing: the costs of staying put outweigh the costs of moving to live elsewhere. Migration is an inherently burdensome action. One must tow their belongings, afford the costs of moving, dislocate from some social/economic/cultural ties, and adapt to new community and culture. When one moves, one leaves the known, the comfortable, for the unknown, a new vulnerable and less stable space. While the movement of people from one setting to another holds inherent burdens, migration may present more of a burden to certain groups of people than others. French is the second most institutionalized language by the countries of the world, after English. The French-speaking world – la francophonie – is vast and diverse. However, scholarly literature and various popular press articles show that the movement of French speakers from one French-speaking region to another is disproportionately cumbersome. In a globalized world, the wealthier nations of the Global North hold sway, so the patriarchal, Anglo-American culture takes precedence worldwide. Migration is a concept that is racialized, economized, and gendered on a global scale, resulting in greater trauma retained by female migrants, migrants of racial or ethnic minority, and migrants of lower economic status.
Keywords: Canada, Culture, Francophonie, Gender, Immigration, Language, Migration, Racialization, Women
A Faulty Francophonie: Language, Culture, & Migration
ALT 205
Migration is a widespread phenomenon. According to a rational perspective, migration occurs when the benefits of moving to live elsewhere outweigh the benefits of staying put. Or a more likely, realistic phrasing: the costs of staying put outweigh the costs of moving to live elsewhere. Migration is an inherently burdensome action. One must tow their belongings, afford the costs of moving, dislocate from some social/economic/cultural ties, and adapt to new community and culture. When one moves, one leaves the known, the comfortable, for the unknown, a new vulnerable and less stable space. While the movement of people from one setting to another holds inherent burdens, migration may present more of a burden to certain groups of people than others. French is the second most institutionalized language by the countries of the world, after English. The French-speaking world – la francophonie – is vast and diverse. However, scholarly literature and various popular press articles show that the movement of French speakers from one French-speaking region to another is disproportionately cumbersome. In a globalized world, the wealthier nations of the Global North hold sway, so the patriarchal, Anglo-American culture takes precedence worldwide. Migration is a concept that is racialized, economized, and gendered on a global scale, resulting in greater trauma retained by female migrants, migrants of racial or ethnic minority, and migrants of lower economic status.
Keywords: Canada, Culture, Francophonie, Gender, Immigration, Language, Migration, Racialization, Women
