From linguistic Maronaz to official language: The recognition and officialisation of the Creole language in public education in La Réunion between 1970 and 2022

Phillips, Madeleine Julia 2023. From linguistic Maronaz to official language: The recognition and officialisation of the Creole language in public education in La Réunion between 1970 and 2022. MPhil Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

Preview	PDF - Accepted Post-Print Version Download (7MB) | Preview
	PDF (Cardiff University Electronic Publication Form) - Supplemental Material Restricted to Repository staff only Download (143kB)

Abstract

Creole is the mother language of over 80% of the population of La Réunion in the Indian Ocean. Despite this, it has historically been restricted to private and domestic roles, while French has dominated the public sphere. Between 1970 and the 1990s, these distinct roles were challenged through cultural and linguistic movements which increased recognition and pride in the Creole language. In 2000, Creole was recognised as an official regional language of France in the Loi d’orientation pour l’outre-mer. This law sparked two decades of legislation and local policy changes which facilitated the use of Creole in public education. The increased recognition for Creole and its officialisation through public education are the result of language planning and activism by formal and informal actors across culture, politics, research and education. Of these domains, public education has undoubtedly been the key focus of language politics in favour of Creole in La Réunion. Creole teaching initiatives in La Réunion are supported by a growing emphasis on plurilingual pedagogies in global education and applied linguistics. This research has drawn on conceptual approaches from sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, humanities and the social sciences. Ethnographic methodologies have produced authentic and contextualised research findings. Interviews were conducted with Creole teachers, activists, policy makers, researchers and grassroots associations. Furthermore, participant observation in schools and universities was conducted during a research trip to La Réunion. This thesis addresses a gap in literature on La Réunion and contributes to the Réunionese perspective in ongoing debates around creole languages, regional language education and plurilingual pedagogy in France, Europe and beyond.

Item Type:	Thesis (MPhil)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Modern Languages
Funders:	James Pantyfedwen Foundation
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	27 November 2023
Last Modified:	27 Nov 2024 02:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/164399

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item