The Franco-American population of Lewiston-Auburn, Maine is emblematic of the one million French-speaking migrants who flooded the industrial cities of New England in the 19th and 20th centuries. Professor DeFosse of Bates College will explain how this group has managed to hold on to their cultural identity, while still participating fully in American society.

Join professor Hanétha Vété-Congolo of Bowdoin College for an exploration of the diverse Francophone world, with its challenges and promises for the 21st century.

Following the advent of the French and Haitian Revolutions, a massive exodus displaced thousands of people across Europe and the Atlantic world. Between 1789 and 1794, approximately 150,000 French left their homeland. Another 30,000 people fled from the Caribbean after the Revolution at Saint-Domingue (Haiti). This period thus witnessed what can be described as the first modern migration crisis.  This massive and diverse emigration produced a rich literature of exile that exerted a lasting influence on politics, literature, and culture, and become a recognized feature of modern political life.

For the inauguration of the 2021 Francophonie festival on March 1st, the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the US will host Leïla Slimani, writer & Emmanuel Macron's representative for the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). Slimani will address the importance of Francophonie & her own path as a francophone writer!

On March 6th, join the University of Chicago for the 13th Edition of the Journée Intensive en Français. This year, the focus will be an online roundtable event for K-16 educators and university students interested in the French Immersion approach to language teaching and learning. Two New England professors, Anne-Christine Rice (Tufts) and Armelle Crouzieres-Ingenthron (Middlebury) will be participating in the morning roundtable events.

On March 20, 2021, Fabrice Jaumont, Ph.D., will give a talk about his acclaimed book The Bilingual Revolution: The Future of Education is in Two Languages, "which provides guidance and advice for parents and educators who want to create a dual-language program in their own school." This event is organized by the University of Southern Maine.

There are many, many other Francophonie events taking place virtually throughout New England. Please consult the calendar below for the full listing!