Francophone : un terme qui pose problème ou / et une réalite qui dérange ?

Abstract

A problematic term and/or a disturbing reality Often dubious or allergic, even downright negative, the reactions to the word “Francophone”, a term whose meaning is nevertheless clear, do not fail to raise questions. They are particularly strong in the literary field where more and more Francophone literatures are developing, the emergence, study and recognition of which always come up against resistance without equal in other linguistic areas resulting from European colonization. The explanation lies at the very heart of the History of France and of the Franco-French structures for apprehending the world – particularly through the place and the conception of the language and literature that signify it – what the author calls the French ideology. The effects of Parisian editorial centralism, unique in the world, are also studied, as well as the contrasting consequences of the political use made of the French language and its supposed universality. Diverse historical strata and contemporary contradictions are meticulously analysed, as well as the obstacles to considering and building a plural Franco-Francophone space. What the rejection of the word “Francophone” refers to is the realities that it designates and forces us to recognize fundamentally. They call into question a habitus.