University of Southern Maine

Manifesto of French North America

Rendezvous of Franco-America

Eric Waddell, Quebec; Barry Rodrigue, Maine; Dean Louder, Quebec

[version française]

The constituent states of North America will inevitably move to some form of continental union in the 21st Century. In such a configuration, the three core languages will be English, Spanish and French. While the first two are vested in powerful States (USA and Mexico) and their authority is unquestioned, the legitimacy of French is more equivocal, and hence it is periodically subject to contestation. This is readily explained by the fact that, 1). French is spoken by only 2% of the continent's population, 2). Although a co-official language of Canada - with English - the role of French is often reduced to a largely symbolic one, and, 3). The political, cultural and economic power base of French is limited essentially to a single province, Québec. In other words, the population that lies behind the language is, for many, an obscure and vulnerable one. And yet the French language is the bearer of a culture and the voice of a diversity of communities that are central to the very making of North America. It is a language spoken by a population that is present through the continent. And it is a language that serves as a crucial instrument of inter-cultural dialogue within the continent and a window on the modern world.

Musée du Québec, 1999

Since continental integration is motivated primarily by the logic of economic rationalism, those with the vision to see such a move will play a crucial role in ensuring the fair association of the composite peoples, languages and cultures of the emerging North American Regional Community. In this context, our mission is to serve as an advocate for the French presence. In using the term "French", we refer to all the North American cultures and communities who express themselves through the French language, consider it to be a primordial historical reference or share it with other languages. Most Franco-American communities are concentrated in and derived principally from Québec, Acadian and Louisianan hearths. Some are the product of interaction with other civilizations, notably the Creole and Métis communities. Others are recent immigrants to this continent, from Europe, the Caribbean, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, the Indian Ocean or Asia. And yet others have joined the Francophone community, by virtue of residence, education and the power of attraction of its culture.

In the past, traditionalist French North American organizations have tended to look backwards in celebration of a particular history and an oftentimes-painful struggle for the maintenance of a faith, a language and a specific continental experience. In other words, marginality and exclusivity were, in a very real sense, celebrated by them. While this recognition of the past and of a heritage is something we too advocate, our primary focus is to look resolutely forward (not backward) to look outwards (not inwards) to give presence, substance and expectations to a language that is increasingly inscribed on the products of the New Economy and has, in recent decades, acquired considerable visibility throughout North America.

Dean Louder & Eric Waddell, Quebec, at the Maine State Legislature, Augusta, 2002

Our Rendezvous is rooted in the Province of Québec and the New England, but our network is of continental dimensions. We draw together people of diverse backgrounds: Education, cinema, literature and the arts. Our mission is to bring the Franco-American experience from the margins to the center of North America: To provide it with substance and legitimacy, to demonstrate the extent to which it is a culture of convergence, inspired by the multiplicity of peoples and trajectories which characterize the North American adventure, and to highlight the continuity between the past, present and future. In sum, we are concerned to reveal the significant contribution Franco-Americans make in defining the personality of this continent, guiding its development and building bridges between its many cultures and civilizations.

It is our specific intention to generate and diffuse information on Franco-America: Its history and geography, as well as its linguistic, cultural, political and economic expressions. The means we intend to adopt will include the promotion and publication of research, the production of educational materials, the diffusion of cultural products, the organization of conferences and the creation of websites, with all of them aimed at a continental audience, hence at all three language communities. We believe that in adopting this mission we can help ensure that Franco-America establishes its place as an equal partner, with an Anglo-America and a Hispano-America, in the construction of the continent of the 21st Century.

André Gladu, Montréal, at Sillery, Québec, 1999

Jean Morisset, Montéal, Carrying Place, Maine, 1996

Eric Waddell, sur le chemin de Mont Aigoual (Cevennes, France)

Eric Waddell, Laval University, Québec ericwaddell@sympatico.ca

Barry Rodrigue, Lewiston-Auburn College, University of Southern Maine
rodrigue@usm.maine.edu

Dean Louder, Laval University, Québec - dean.louder@ggr.ulaval.ca