Decentring France: Multilingualism and Power in Contemporary French Cinema

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Description

In a world defined by the flow of people, goods and cultures, many contemporary French films explore the multicultural nature of today's France through language. From rival lingua francas such as English to socio-politically marginalised languages such as Arabic or Kurdish, multilingual characters in these films exploit their knowledge of multiple languages, and offer counter-perspectives to dominant ideologies of the role of linguistic diversity in society. Decentring France is the first substantial study of multilingual film in France. Unpacking the power dynamics at play in the dialogue of eight emblematic films, this book argues that many contemporary French films take a new approach to language and power, showing how even the most historically-maligned languages can empower their speakers. This book offers a unique insight to academics and students alike, into the place of language and power in French cinema today. -- .

Reviews

Starting off with a brief overview of French cinema from the silent period to the present, King then focuses on eight films that are both multicultural and multilingual, and examines how the use of Kurdish, Tamil, Arabic and other languages within these films empowers the cultures they represent as well as the languages themselves. King argues that by refusing to center the French language in contemporary French cinema, these films among them Jacques Audiards Dheepan (2015) and Un prophte (2009), Laurent Cantets Entre les murs (2008), Philippe Liorets Welcome (2009) force cinemagoers into a deeper engagement with issues of class, race, nationality, and cultural privilege.
G. A. Foster, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, CHOICE, October 2018, Vol. 56, No. 2

Author Bio

Gemma King is Lecturer in French Studies at the Australian National University