Writing the Nomadic Experience in Contemporary Francophone Literature

My book examines contemporary writers from the French-speaking world who can be classified as literary nomads. The concept of nomadism, based on the experience of traditionally mobile peoples lacking any fixed home, reflects a postmodern way of thinking that encourages individuals to reconsider rigid definitions of borders, classifications, and identities. Nomadic identities reflect shifting landscapes that defy taking on fully the limits of any one fixed national or cultural identity. In conceiving of identities beyond the boundaries of national or cultural origin, we also open up the space for nomadic subjects whose identity is based just as much on their geographical displacement and deterritorialization as on a relationship to any one fixed place, community, or culture. It is this experience of an existence between borders and its translation into writing that I have sought to explore in my study. While nomadism is frequently associated with post-colonial authors, in my study, I consider an eclectic group of contemporary Francophone writers who are not easily defined by the boundaries of one nation, one culture, or one language. Each of the four writers of this study J.M.G. LeClezio, Nancy Huston, Nina Bouraoui, and Regine Robin maintains a connection to France, but it is one that is complicated by life experiences, backgrounds, and choices that inevitably expand their identities beyond the Hexagon. I examine how these authors life experiences are reflected in their writing and how they may inform us on the state of our increasingly global world where borders and identities are blurred.

Katharine N. Harrington is assistant professor of French at Plymouth State University. She has published articles on the writing of Nancy Huston and Regine Robin and is co-editor of a book on innovative foreign language pedagogy Recipes for Success in Foreign Language Teaching: Ready-Made Activities for the L2 Classroom. Her current research interests include contemporary writers of France and the Francophone world, French and Quebecois film, and North American Francophone communities.