Franco-America in the Making: The Creole Nation Within by Jonathan K. Gosnell (review)

Gosnell examines the imprint of French settlers in North America over the past four hundred years, and the way in which French cultural identity has been defined here. One of the characteristics that Gosnell identifies is the prevalence in the Franco-American experience of cultural mixing or hybridism: "European, African, and Native American traditions mingled to a greater extent than in more mainstream Anglo-America and gave rise to a hybrid tradition à la française" (2). The America of their descendants "is very much a Creole nation" (2). Focusing primarily on the French cultures of New England and south Louisiana, Gosnell also studies smaller French settlements, including those in the upper Mississippi, Missouri, and on the Maine-New Brunswick border. He emphasizes that although each branch of the larger "French family" has its own historical experience and particular culture, they all share "a language, a predominant religion [Catholicism], and minority status in North America" (22). Similarly, "global, American-led forces of assimilation" currently threaten the traditions of all Franco-Americans (22). Through the six chapters of this book, Gosnell examines multiple aspects of the Franco-American experience, including: the dreams, and economic and social necessities that drove many French and French-Canadians to immigrate to the United States, as well as the shame often associated with working-class Frenchness ("Between Dream and Reality"); the history of French teaching institutions in the New World, and other French linguistic and cultural institutions such as the Alliance Française, the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF), and the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL) ("Cultural Institutions and French Renaissance in America"); the heritage of pioneering French women, and the important role of women's organizations in cultural preservation, especially in New England ("Women's Social Clubs and the Transmission of Culture"); new voices in the littérature-monde en français world literature movement, juxtaposed with the decline of French-language newspapers and media ("Franco-American Cultures in a New World Perspective" and "Ethnic Identity and the Franco-American Press"); and the touristic and economic strength of French Creole culture in contemporary Louisiana, particular through its music and cuisine ("Unmasking the Creole Cowboy"). Gosnell notes that throughout Franco-American cultures, there tends to be an increasing gap between older, French-speaking Francos and more Americanized subsequent generations—a gap that threatens the loss of language and culture. He asks if one can still self-identify as Franco-American without being able to articulate ideas or read in French. Gosnell presents a wealth of information and statistics on French institutions, organizations, and clubs, as well as giving the names and titles of a diverse range of North American literature in French, including folktales from the traditions of Ti-Jean, Boudreau, and Br'er Rabbit. His work will be of great interest to teachers of French, and to anyone interested in the French history of North America.