Francophone Post-Colonial Cultures: Critical Essays

by Kamal Salhi (Contributor)

The recent rise of Francophone studies within French studies has created the need for a one-volume exploration of the range of expression in the French language following the colonial period. Francophone Post-Colonial Cultures collects discussions of literary texts and cultural identity from Europe, North Africa, the Caribbean, and South Asia—regions of the world that seem to have only the French language in common. Despite enormous differences among all the countries where French is spoken, Francophone literatures tend to deal with a similar spread of issues. This volume positions the study of the Francophone world and its cultures as a comparative project, in which post-colonial Francophone cultures and the specific alterity of these cultures emerge as inextricable from and essential to an understanding of modern France. Organized by region, boasting an international roster of contributors, and including summaries of selected creative and critical works and a guide to selected terms and figures, Francophone Post-Colonial Cultures is an ideal resource for scholars of French literature and advanced students looking to read beyond the French literary canon.

448 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2003

Reviews

[Vanessa (V.C.) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exactly the book I was looking for: a survey of Francophone post-colonial nations and their literature that also explores the depth of colonization and how it influences the people effected by it. The essays are not overly academic and cumbersome as they were clearly designed for French language learning, English speaking students; they were surprisingly readable, digestible, and clear and concise. I was never bored. I loved how the passages are mostly in French so you could get a taste of each author and their work and how it connects with the thesis and post-colonial theme. I learned so much about each post-colonial Francophone nation from Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, and more; so much literature was mentioned and that I can’t wait to go out of the way to borrow and read myself. It was overwhelming in the best way. Even the footnotes at the end of each essay were generous and brimming with knowledge! From beginning to end, I wanted to savor and devour everything all at once and the same time.