Researchers in language and culture didactics operating within European languages, whether from a didactological perspective (Germain, 2022) or a didactic perspective, must grapple with the historicity of the colonial context. This historicity, viewed here as individuals' subjective relationship to historical consciousness (Delacroix, 2009), influences researchers' positions in debates regarding the role of interventionism in the discipline (Babault, Bento & Spaëth, 2014). However, in the case of French, despite research on the teaching of French in colonial settings (Bouche & Pluchon, 1991; Spaëth, 1996; Vigner, 2000), the connection between the contemporary French as a Second Language (FSL) field (Chnane-Davin & Cuq, 2007) and the histories of French dissemination within the Francophone space remains somewhat marginal (Chnane-Davin, Lallement & Spaëth, 2018). While it's now impossible to ignore the link between decolonization processes and the dissemination of universal methodological propositions for teaching and learning French (Spaëth, 2021; Coste, 1987), the state of dialogue between discipline historians and researchers in teaching French as a second language fails to evolve the historicities of FSL trainers. The difficulties in teaching the Francophone context (Cuq, 2018) within French FLES (Teaching French as a Foreign Language) programs in France underscore this absence. What does this absence reveal?

The first colloquium on "teaching and disseminating French in the French colonial empire" organized by SIHFLES in 2005 addresses both the common issues in the French colonial school and the significant disparity in teaching methods across concerned territories (Vigner, ibid & 2019). The organization of linguistic contact within the educational institution, the place of languages, and their respective roles in learning are central concerns that, to a certain extent, determine the contents to be taught (object lessons), as well as the predominantly used didactic configurations for teaching (the direct method).

Precisely this link between reflections on teaching formats and language policy is the focus of the new DILTEC and SIHFLES colloquium in two directions. Firstly, it aims to broaden the geographical boundaries, allowing researchers to work on comparing language policies of different colonial empires. Secondly, it seeks to expand the temporal boundaries of the second French colonial empire to foster dialogue between language didacticians interested in history and those examining the effects of historical language contacts on contemporary curricula. The colloquium thus proposes a temporal scope to comprehend the colonial context in its European dimension and to establish a form of continuity between historiographical regimes and historical consciousness. Therefore, 1884 marks the start of negotiations for the partition of Africa under the Berlin Treaty, and 1998 witnessed the dissolution of the French Ministry of Cooperation[1]. Hence, what choices did colonial empires make regarding the contact of their language with indigenous languages? What language policy projects did these choices respond to? What are the consequences for creating/adapting pedagogical materials for colonial schools? How significant are these linguistic contacts for the foundational historicities of professional identities of language instructors? What place exists for specific training in teaching languages in a colonial setting? What moments led to ruptures in the teaching and learning of languages in the colonial schools of different empires, and how are these linked to the evolution of metropolis school systems? The queries of this colloquium, aiming for a dual comparative perspective (geographical and temporal), will be organized into three axes.

Axis 1: Epistemological Choices for Teaching Colonial Languages

This axis will encompass historical or contemporary communications seeking to examine the epistemological and political foundations of teaching and learning languages in colonized territories. From a historical perspective, it will involve understanding the evolution of educational systems and the role played by the teaching in/of the colonial language before and after the colonizer's presence (Vigner, 2000; Spaëth, 1996). It will also delve into the political and linguistic debates arising from the articulation of colonial languages and national languages and their effects on the formation of colonial school imaginaries. From a contemporary perspective, it will focus on the problems posed by the use of ex-colonial languages in the education systems of various "phonies" (Francophonie, Anglophonie, Hispanophonie, and Lusophonie), the role of variation within these educational systems, and the resulting transnational stakes from these linguistic choices. This axis will facilitate dialogue between researchers from different "phonies" and between historians of FSL with contemporary FSL didacticians from a comparative perspective (Guerin, 2023).

Axis 2: Literacy in Teaching Colonial Languages

The establishment of indigenous schools in the Second French colonial empire is based on the choice of the direct method and a focus on teaching spoken French (Vigner, 2018). For this colonial empire, the relationship with writing is a central marker, where access to literature is mainly for learners in European schools. Specifically for AOF (French West Africa), literacy (Chiss, 2016) is mainly associated with administrators and constitutes the ideal native speaker's horizon, which the colonized counterpart is never intended to achieve. While studies on teaching French in a colonial setting shed light on debates about simplified French and the resulting pedagogical perspectives (Spaëth, 2014; Vigner, 2014), what about other colonial empires? This axis will focus on pedagogical projects and their supports (manuals, questionnaires, comments from designers, prefaces, teacher's guides) contributing to the dissemination of colonial languages. From a contemporary viewpoint, it will investigate the historicity of these language planning approaches on the spread of European languages. It will gather communications that particularly explore the relationship of languages to their linguistic and literary norms (Marzouki, 2018). Furthermore, this axis aims to study the formation of the corpus used for teaching/learning (representations of literary hierarchies: minor/major genres, heritage values).

Axis 3: Teacher Training for Practice in Colonial Schools

What forms of training are implemented for teachers destined for colonial schools? Is there a connection between linguistic contact projects and the quality of training provided to teachers meant to pursue careers in colonial schools? In the French context, apart from projects undertaken by the French Secular Mission in Jules Ferry schools (Vigner, 2015) and the Universal Israelite Alliance (Spaëth, 1996), there's no specific training in the metropolis. However, the colonial project lays the groundwork for considering radical alterity and the necessity to address it in French language education (Spaëth, 2010). In this regard, pedagogical developments in teaching French in a colonial setting represent a paradox: they indicate a form of openness to the pedagogical consideration of the other but draw a clear boundary between learner groups. How does this play out in other "phonies"? What training schemes are deployed, and what are their effects? This axis will specifically explore the link between training institutions and programs dedicated to teaching French in Africa (for example, BELC in the 1960s-1970s). Communications can particularly examine the relatively integrated cultural educational specifics in the training programs. More generally, this axis will encompass studies concerning the relationship between universalism and contextualization in teacher training programs on a macro-political or micro-institutional scale.

This colloquium aims to initiate discussions between historians of French teaching and contemporary didacticians to uncover the traces of historicity constituting the gray area in all language and culture didactics research questions.

Bibliography of the Argument

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Chiss, J.-L. (2016). De la pédagogie du français à la didactique des langues: les disciplines, la linguistique et l'histoire. Les éditions de l'école polytechnique: Paris.

Chnane-Davin, F., Lallement F., & Spaëth, V. (2018). Enseigner la francophonie, enseigner les francophonies, Recherches et Applications, N°64, Clé International: Paris.

Chnane-Davin, F. & Cuq, J.P. (2005). "Français langue seconde: un concept victime de son succès?" in Verdelhan-Bourgade, M., Le français langue seconde, pp. 11-28, De Boeck Supérieur: Paris.

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Spaëth, V. (2021). "Une histoire de la notion de français langue étrangère (FLE): des pratiques à une discipline," in Chiss J.L. (dir), Le FLE et la francophonie dans le monde, pp. 25-70, Armand Colin: Paris.

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Vigner, G. (2014). "Une grammaire scolaire dans l’Afrique coloniale. La grammaire dans la série « Mamadou et Bineta »: grammaire réduite ou grammaire adaptée? ", Documents pour l’histoire du français langue étrangère ou seconde, 52 | pp.141-163.

[1] The Ministry of Cooperation created in 1959 replaced the Ministry of Overseas, itself created in 1946. The latter is the successor of the Ministry of Colonies. The year 1998 marks the end of a post-colonial policy in France, with its responsibilities transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.