ABSTRACT
The Routledge Handbook of Francophone Africa brings together a multidisciplinary team of international experts to reflect on the history, politics, societies, and cultures of French-speaking parts of Africa.
Consisting of approximately 35% of Africa’s territory, Francophone Africa is a shifting concept, with its roots in French and Belgian colonial rule. This handbook develops and problematizes the term, with thematic sections covering:
- Colonial and post-colonial ties between France and sub-Saharan Africa
- Belgium, Belgian colonialism and Africa
- The Maghreb
- African Francophones in France
- Francophone African literature and film
- ‘Francophone’ and ‘Anglophone’ Africa
- Beyond national boundaries and ‘colonial partners’
The chapters demonstrate the evolution of "Francophone Africa" into a multi-dimensional construct, with both a material and an imagined reality. Materially, it defines a regional territorial space that coexists with other conceptualisations of African space and borders. Conceptually, Francophone Africa constitutes a shared linguistic and cultural space within which collective memories are shared, not least through their connection to the French imperial imagination. Overall, the Handbook demonstrates that as global power structures and relations evolve, African agency is increasingly assertive in shaping French-African relations.
Bringing this important debate together into a single volume, this Handbook will be an essential resource for students and scholars interested in Francophone Africa.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
section Section 1|126 pages
Colonial and post-colonial ties between France and sub-Saharan Africa
chapter 5|12 pages
France and Francophone Africa
chapter 6|16 pages
Colonial medicine in French West Africa
chapter 8|17 pages
Reconciling with the past and looking to the future
section Section 2|47 pages
Belgium, Belgian colonialism and Africa
chapter 11|11 pages
Guilty imaginaries
section Section 3|59 pages
The Maghreb
chapter 12|29 pages
Language policies in Algeria since 1962
section Section 4|85 pages
African Francophones in France
chapter 15|17 pages
‘A great gang of black and brown humanity’
chapter 19|16 pages
The road to 2005
section Section 5|46 pages
Francophone African literature and film
chapter 20|18 pages
Colonial/postcolonial francophonies in sub-Saharan Africa
section Section 6|46 pages
‘Francophone’ and ‘Anglophone’ Africa
chapter 23|18 pages
‘Francophones’ and ‘Anglophones’ in Cameroon
section Section 7|40 pages
Beyond national boundaries and ‘colonial partners’