Every month in France-Amérique,
discover the best of French and Francophone culture in the United States.
Analysis of French-American news • French cultural events in the United States • Interviews with leading intellectuals • Fashion tips • Traditional and contemporary recipes • Reports from across the United States • Authors’ perspectives on America • Portraits of artists, entrepreneurs, and other French-American personalities • The best of Francophone literature translated into English • French movies and series in theaters and online • French habits and linguistic subtleties • Unique places to visit in France • And so much more…
March 2022
What Makes a Francophone?
What is Francophonie? Is the French language disappearing in Canada? What do Martinican poet Edouard Glissant and NYU professor François Noudelmann have in common? Why is the distinction currently made between “French” and “Francophone” authors so problematic? We answer these questions on the state of the French language in North America in our March issue, right on time for le mois de la francophonie! Also in this issue, read about President Macron and the emmerder scandal; Mathilde Collin, the French woman reinventing email in San Francisco; Jacqueline Chambord, the grande dame of the FIAF; and chef Isaac Toups, the standard-bearer of Cajun cuisine in Louisiana!
Featured Articles
INTERVIEW
FRANÇOIS NOUDELMANN
“The Future of the French Language Depends on its Creolization”
French professor and director of the Maison Française at New York University, François Noudelmann applies a universalist vision of French in his teaching and his cultural programs, focusing on Haiti, Quebec, and the Congo as much as Paris.
By Guy Sorman
HERITAGE
CARNAVALET
The World of Paris in a Museum
After five years of renovation work, the Musée Carnavalet devoted to the history of Paris is reopening with a revamped space that showcases the finest period rooms of the French capital.
FRANCOPHONIE
CANADA
Is the French Language Disappearing?
French is no laughing matter in Quebec. When in November 2021, Air Canada president Michael Rousseau thought it was a good idea to say that he hadn’t had time to learn the language, he sparked a storm of criticism and had to apologize.
PORTFOLIO
RRICARDO BOFILL
The Architect Who Wanted to Revolutionize Social Housing in France
The internationally renowned Spanish architect, who passed away in January at the age of 82, was known for designing the headquarters of Cartier and Dior in Paris, and of United Airlines in Chicago. However, he also created vast social housing complexes inspired by Ancient Greece. A utopian yet controversial vision.
Table of contents
FROM THE NEWSDESK
Meat, Wine, and Cheese Cause a Political Controversy in France. By Anthony Bulger
COME ON OUT
French Cultural Events in North America. By Tracy Kendrick
EDITORIAL
Storm over Democracy. By Guy Sorman
ENTRETIEN
François Noudelmann: “The Future of the French Language Depends on its Creolization.” By Guy Sorman
THE OBSERVER
When Political Language Is Weaponized. By Anthony Bulger
DIPTYCH ICONS
Le palais de la Légion d’honneur/The Legion of Honor. By Clément Thiery
ENTREPRENEUR
Mathilde Collin, the French Woman Reinventing Email. By Benoît Georges
PORTRAIT
Jacqueline Chambord: Manhattan Rendezvous. By Jérôme Kagan
HERITAGE
The World of Paris in a Museum. By Jean-Gabriel Fredet
ALBERTINE DIARIES
Texas by Fatoumata Kebe
BON APPÉTIT
Isaac Toups, the Standard-Bearer of Cajun Cuisine. By Clément Thiery
Recipe: Drunken Shrimp
A CANVAS, AN ARTIST
Joan Mitchell, My Landscape II. By Tracy Kendrick
FRENCH AMERICA
St. Louis, Missouri. By Anthony Lacoudre
FRANCOPHONIE
Is the French Language Disappearing in Canada? By Dominique Mataillet
PORTFOLIO
Ricardo Bofill: The Architect Who Wanted to Revolutionize Social Housing in France. By Guénola Pellen
ICONIC
The Louis Ghost Chair. By Guénola Pellen
LITERATURE
Alice Kaplan: From Minnesota to Algeria, in the Footsteps of Camus. By Sophie Joubert
BOOK REVIEW
Lola Lafon: A Girl in Little Pieces. By Sophie Joubert
THE WORDSMITH
What Makes a Francophone? By Dominique Mataillet
© Pierre Antoine
