Francophonies and créole: Yanick Lahens and the “decolonisation of knowledge”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2317-9651.i31p385-403Keywords:
Yanick Lahens, Créole, national literature, francophoniesAbstract
In March 2019, in her Leçon inaugurale at the Collège de France, writer Yanick Lahens described a feature that is characteristic of Haitian society and has been essential to its literature since the mid-19th century: the cultural and social divide that has made it difficult to establish a sense of national “us”. In a country that has been dominated by the French language since its early days of independence, the desire for a national “we” is undoubtedly closely linked to the question of language. Taking the novel Bain de lune as a starting point, this article examines the implications of defending Créole without criticising the French language. The debate is different, focusing on a reimagining of the concept of “national literature”, which, by incorporating the discussion on the language of writing, necessitates a fresh perspective on francophonies.
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