Thematic seminar : Otherness in Francophone literature (Quebec, Caribbean, Africa) 3304-2DXW-ST-52

The aim of the course will be to analyze selected literary works from the francophone areas of Canada (Quebec), the Caribbean and Africa in terms of issues of otherness. Students will be introduced to selected philosophical and humanistic approaches to the concept of otherness, through which they will be able to conduct their own interpretations of representations of otherness in contemporary Francophone literature.
It is in the francophone literary space that a particular sensitivity to otherness and strangeness in ethnic, cultural, social or identity terms can be found. Diverse by its very definition, the literature of francophone areas, strongly marked by postcolonial thought, reflects on how the Other is defined, imagined, perceived and represented. Also present in francophone literary texts is the issue of the "Other within oneself," i.e. recognizing one's own identity and one's own perceptions as manifestations of the influence of other cultures on a given individual, social group or entire societies. This leads to questioning the homogeneous concept of subjectivity, opening up the possibility of reflecting on diversity, but also on the tensions that accompany encounters with the other. Literature then becomes an area of exploration of multifaceted human relationships. Analysis of selected works will capture some of these nuanced dimensions of contact with otherness.