Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2012 The common trs uggle: locating the international connections of national spaces of conflict in the Francophone world Mark Huntsman Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the French and Francophone Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation Huntsman, Mark, "The ommonc struggle: locating the international connections of national spaces of conflict in the Francophone world" (2012). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 437. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/437 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. THE COMMON STRUGGLE: LOCATING THE INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS OF NATIONAL SPACES OF CONFLICT IN THE FRANCOPHONE WORLD A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical ColleGe in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the deGree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of French Studies by Mark Huntsman B.A. University of Wisconsin 2002 M.A. Louisiana State University 2007 December 2012 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The amount of thanks I owe Professor Adelaide Russo cannot be overstated. DatinG back to my earliest days as a Graduate student, she has dedicated tremendous amounts of time and effort to helpinG me develop as a scholar and as a person. The amount of encouragement she has Given, as well as the patience she has demonstrated, have been nothinG short of extraordinary. My thanks as well to Professor GreGory Stone, whose insiGhtfulness is inspirinG and whose thouGht-provokinG questions durinG the defense of my proposal helped provide solid Guidelines as this project developed. Professor Jack Yeager was one of the first individuals I met at Louisiana State, and remains one of the friendliest and most approachable. His recommendations of pertinent texts have always been impeccable. Professor Helen ReGis’s work as a scholar and as a teacher showed me that it is possible to explore “fun” subjects while remaininG academically riGorous. I must also extend a sincere thank you to my Dean’s representative, Professor Joseph Clare, for beinG willinG to serve on my committee despite such short notice. I would not have been able to complete this project without the aid of the staff of Emory University’s Woodruff Library, in particular Jessica Perlove, who was kind enouGh to set up a Guest account for me in order to assist me with my research. My heartfelt Gratitude also Goes out to numerous present and former colleagues, includinG but not limited to Marianne Bessy, Benjamin Forkner, and Mame Fatou-NianG, all of who offered advice and encouragement alonG the way. My parents, Bill and Randi, have offered constant love and reinforcement throuGhout my academic journey. Finally, a special thank you to Jessica Dunne, ii who has lived with me throuGhout the writinG of this thesis, and has remained unwaverinGly supportive. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................. ii ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................... vii INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 1 LA FRANCOPHONIE ........................................................................................................................ 6 CHAPTER ONE: LANGUAGE .......................................................................................................... 31 1.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 31 1.2 Societal Inequality .................................................................................................................. 38 1.3 OrthoGraphy and the Francophone Author ........................................................................... 48 1.3.1 The Choice of French ................................................................................................... 48 1.3.2 Pseudonymy as a Tool of LinGuistic and Cultural NaviGation ...................................... 55 1.3.3 OrthoGraphic Battles ................................................................................................... 74 1.4 LanGuage Policy ...................................................................................................................... 81 1.4.1 Protectionism and National LanGuage Charters .......................................................... 81 1.4.2 MonolinGualism in Schools .......................................................................................... 85 1.4.3 Cultural Saliency .......................................................................................................... 97 1.5 Nations Divided ...................................................................................................................... 99 1.5.1 LanGuage as a Marker of National Identity ................................................................. 99 1.5.2 LanGuage as a Tool of Separatism ............................................................................. 109 iv CHAPTER TWO: RELIGION .......................................................................................................... 115 2.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 115 2.2 Incompatible Interdependence: The Church-State Dialectic ............................................... 116 2.2.1 ReliGious Influence at the Polls .................................................................................. 116 2.2.2 The Impossibility of Autonomy .................................................................................. 128 2.2.3 The Myth of Incompatibility ...................................................................................... 136 2.3 Dualism as a Tool of ReliGious Distinction ............................................................................ 149 2.3.1 ReliGion as Nation ........................................................................................................ 149 2.3.2 ConstructinG Evil .......................................................................................................... 180 2.4 Communal Domination and Restriction of Liberties ............................................................ 195 CHAPTER THREE: THE CITY IN FRANCOPHONE LITERATURE ...................................................... 206 3.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 206 3.1.1 The Choice of Texts ..................................................................................................... 206 3.1.2 The City as Adversary .................................................................................................. 226 3.2 Undesired Anonymity .......................................................................................................... 230 3.2.1 The Paradox of Claustrophobic Isolation .................................................................... 230 3.2.2 HomoGeneity and the Repression of the Individual .................................................... 242 3.3 The Need for Escape ............................................................................................................ 263 3.3.1 The City as Prison ........................................................................................................ 263 3.3.2 Nature as Impossible Refuge ....................................................................................... 267 3.4 The City and Sin .................................................................................................................... 292 3.5 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 309 v CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................. 314 WORKS CITED ............................................................................................................................. 331 VITA ............................................................................................................................................ 350 vi ABSTRACT In their 2007 manifesto, Quand les murs tombent: l’identité nationale hors-la-loi, Édouard Glissant and Patrick Chamoiseau propose that the nation-state is a stumblinG block to Global solidarity as it emphasizes cultural division. In order to achieve international community across borders, people must find common bonds that link them across traditional lines of conflict. My thesis applies this notion within the context of la Francophonie, an orGanization that has struGGled with its Goal of cultural rapprochement as its member nations continue to perceive each other as foreiGn entities rather than