Title (All Applicants)
Project Advisor(s) (Students Only)
Dr. Chadia Chambers-Samadi
Presentation Type (All Applicants)
Oral Presentation
Disciplines (All Applicants)
French and Francophone Language and Literature
Description, Abstract, or Artist's Statement
Haitian-Canadian-American author Dany Laferrière breaks the bonds of literary terms of categorization. In North America, French-language literature has a history of isolation and suppression, but the literature from Dany Laferrière pushes past boundaries placed by those who seek to categorize him. Laferrière, who identifies as “American” and wants to be seen as nothing else, seeks to embody an American identity in context of all of North America. But is there a sense of unity throughout North America despite borders, whether they are of countries our linguistic? Additionally, his election to the French Academy merits some questions worth addressing, considering a history of disinterest and even condescending attitudes toward the Haitian community.
Augustana Digital Commons Citation
Welvaert, Brady M.. "The Literary Movement of Dany Laferrière; Francophone Literary History and the Future of French Literature- Brady Welvaert" (2016). Celebration of Learning.
https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/celebrationoflearning/2016/presentations/17
The Literary Movement of Dany Laferrière; Francophone Literary History and the Future of French Literature- Brady Welvaert
Haitian-Canadian-American author Dany Laferrière breaks the bonds of literary terms of categorization. In North America, French-language literature has a history of isolation and suppression, but the literature from Dany Laferrière pushes past boundaries placed by those who seek to categorize him. Laferrière, who identifies as “American” and wants to be seen as nothing else, seeks to embody an American identity in context of all of North America. But is there a sense of unity throughout North America despite borders, whether they are of countries our linguistic? Additionally, his election to the French Academy merits some questions worth addressing, considering a history of disinterest and even condescending attitudes toward the Haitian community.