Spowage, K orcid.org/0000-0003-3736-2104 (2020) Beyond “Fashoda Syndrome”: The Rwandan Civil War and the Politics of La Francophonie in Africa. Language Matters: Studies in the Languages of Africa, 50 (3). pp. 4-25. ISSN 1022-8195
Abstract
This article uses a case study to interrogate the politics of French in Africa. It examines French involvement in the Rwandan Civil War (1990–1994), and argues that by conceptualising institutions such as La Francophonie as “cultural” bodies, we risk obscuring their properly political functions. Through a consideration of the history of language in French colonial thought, and the translation of that history into the post-colonial idea of francophonie, the article foregrounds the political and economic benefits that France has received as a result of the spread of its language and culture. The article also provides an account of the role played by language and culture in France's decision to support the Habyarimana government in a war that culminated in genocide. Ultimately, it argues for the importance of recognising linguistic organisations as political entities.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © Unisa Press 2019. This is an author produced version of an article published in Language Matters: Studies in the Languages of Africa. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | francophonie, French in Africa, Rwandan Civil War, politics of language, cultural materiaism, international relations, linguistic politics, language in Africa |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of English (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 25 Mar 2020 16:36 |
Last Modified: | 08 Jul 2022 00:23 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/10228195.2019.1684978 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:158713 |