Cultural policy in France’s overseas: permanence of colonial logics and the potential for creole resistance

Abstract

France's overseas territories have received greater political autonomy these past three decades. In the Arts sector, the centralised government as well as local governments have developed many cultural policies. Yet, a close examination, through postcolonial lenses, reveals that these policies are imbued with a colonial logic and that colonial patterns are being maintained. These policies hide and deny processes of creolisation that represent a potential for resistance and emancipation.

Keywords:

• France
• overseas territories
• postcolonialism
• creolisation
• marronnage
• cultural policy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. As noted by Hall (2008, p. 40) after E.P. Thompson.

2. Formally, membre-states of the OIF can decide to leave as they are sovereign states. The fact for instance that Rwanda joined the Commonwealth in 2009 and adopted the English language in his schooling is an illustration of that inherent weakness.

3. Mainland France refers to the French territory located on the European continent and therefore excludes all the other French territories scattered throughout the world that are called, in lack of a better term, ‘overseas territories’. Mainland France is also sometimes refers to as the ‘Hexagon’ or as ‘Metropolitan France’ (this former terminology was used in the colonial times to distinguish the colonies from the ‘ Métropole’). Some postcolonial thinkers, to underline the continuity of colonial logics, use the term ‘Metropole’, see for instance (Stovall and Van Den Abbeele 2003, pp. 1–16).

4. *Denotes that the quotation was translated by the author of the article.

5. ‘Un jardin à la francaise’ is usually a very large formal garden meticulously laid in complex geometric patterns, often with elaborate topiary, water features such as fountains, and always beautifully maintained with scrupulous attention to detail. In this context, its formal elaboration and complex structure are important features.

6. ‘Un jardin de curé’ is a small, utilitarian garden, usually a square or rectangle without grass, in which flowers, vegetables, and perhaps medicinal plants are grown. Here the relevant points are that the jardin de curé is informal, relatively unstructured, and amenable to local preference.

7. In his work, Glissant distinguishes between atavistic cultures – which have invented ‘a genesis, a creation myth of the world’ (like those in Europe or in the Amerindian cultures of the Americas) from composite cultures which did not invent creation myths but ‘that are born from history’ like the Caribbean cultures, in which creolisation is ongoing (Glissant 2003, pp. 110–111) (see also: Glissant 1996, pp. 59–64, 1997b, p. 144).

8. These findings are confirmed by another museal study in the Antilles done by Chivallon (2006).