FREN 209 - Roots and Routes: Creole and Diaspora Identities in the Francophone World

FC ARHU CD

4 credits
This course explores how identity is shaped by the interplay of “roots”-ancestral connections and cultural heritage-and “routes”-journeys and displacements that redefine belonging. Through literature and film, we examine how Francophone thinkers and artists grapple with histories of forced migration, colonial trauma, and the longing for home. Rather than fixed, identity here is open-ended, shaped by the tension between departures and returns. Central to this exploration is the concept of creolization, where identity is always understood in relation to several cultures, spaces, and histories. We will critically examine how aesthetics (literature, films, paintings) embody resistance, resilience, and transformation. The class will engage with various voices from the Francophone world, including the Caribbean, North Africa, Western Africa, the Middle East, and Metropolitan France. Taught in English.