Towards decolonising French Language Education: Examples from Scotland (UK) and British Columbia (Canada).

This chapter is an initial exploration of decolonizing discourses and practices in the less explored context of French language education. Whilst many decolonization theories are rooted in issues related to the hegemony of the English language, this chapter addresses a lesser-known area of decolonization scholarship by considering the context of French language education across national settings. In this chapter, we take the example of two French language educational contexts: 1) French heritage language education in the UK and more specifically FLAM (Français Langue Maternelle; that is, French as a Mother Tongue) schools for French and English bilingual children living in the UK; and 2) French international schools in Canada (outside of Quebec), which are open to French nationals. We illuminate the chapter’s agenda of decolonizing discourses and practices by illustrating how the websites of these two schools flag their allegiance to France, its French national curriculum, and the French language itself. Ultimately, this chapter shows how French Language Education moves fluidly between and beyond a France-centric epistemology and a Global-Centric perspective, inviting us to continue exploring the decolonization of French Language Education in ways that defy clear dichotomies.