L'identité culturelle des jeunes franco-américains de Berlin, au New Hampshire

Abstract

This thesis examines the cultural identity of Franco-American teenagers living in Berlin, New Hampshire. Many questions lie at the core of the research: Do these adolescents speak French? If so, in which context do they speak it? How do they interpret their French roots? How do they identify themselves in regards to the Franco-American community? These questions are answered by closely looking at the roles played by language, culture and milieu in cultural identity. In November 2000, a questionnaire was distributed to 342 teenagers attending Berlin High School. Interviews of leaders of the Franco-American community were conducted to determine their views on Berlin's Franco-American youth. The teenagers revealed many interesting details about family members who speak French, the contexts in which French is spoken, their own attitudes towards the French language, their interest for the French culture, the key elements, in their view, that comprise Franco-American culture and the way they chose to identify themselves. The majority of the teenagers have "symbolic" Franco-American identities that are no longer rooted in the knowledge of the French language. Their parents represent Berlin's last generation who know and speak French. As a result, a cultural divide lies between the teenagers, of whom many speak only little French, and their parents, who identify much more with the French culture and of whom many still speak French.