CORE C180 - Francophone & Creole Identities

The topic of migration and resettlement is ubiquitous and has permeated the very ethos of many cultures around the world, sparking heated debates and numerous instances of violence. During more than three centuries of colonialism, the French Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe have witnessed the displacement of thousands of people from Europe, Africa, and Asia; the majority involuntarily, others voluntarily or due to desperate circumstances This course will explore the development of a multi-faceted, multilingual French-Creole community by examining the historical and cultural contributions of the three major ethnic groups, French, Africans, and Indians. The cultural contributions of many other smaller groups, especially those of the Haitians and those from the Dominican Republic, that have found their home in Guadeloupe more recently will also be discussed. The adaptive strategies to the process of resettlement and the reciprocal influences of these displaced people are woven deep throughout every aspect of their contemporary lives and continue to inform French Creole societies in the Caribbean and define their cultural identities. The course will also delve into how these contexts of migration and resettlement account for why Martinicans and Guadeloupeans choose to remain French citizens to this day while they continuously negotiate the power dynamics of the “colonizer and colonized.”

Credits: 1.00
Corequisite: None
Prerequisites: None
Major/Minor Restrictions: None
Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior
Area of Inquiry: None
Liberal Arts Practices: None
Core Component: Communities

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