Suchergebnisse

Establishes the political differences that hold the French Community of Belgium & the region of Wallonia as two distinct political entities. It is in the reforms of 1988 that the communities of Belgium are given expanded authoritative capacities, most notably in education, but it is not until 1993 that they are granted the ability to act with international scope. A law from the same year establishes the ability of each community to transfer competence to the other, but they are unable to actually merge. The two francophone communities express nonetheless their desire to reach a closer degree of interaction & cooperation between one another. The exterior relations of each community are presented in a comparative study as a means of analyzing the political capacities of each & how these effect their interaction with one another. 2 Tables, 48 References. C. Brunski

A content analysis of several francophone Belgian publications is conducted to determine the meaning they assign to international French-speaking communities & the global role of the French language. It is determined that Francophonie can be interpreted either through an identity-focused lens that sees language as the bearer of culture, with the French language uniting diverse nations who share underlying values, or through a situational lens through which the values of a shared language are seen as being constrained by the present. The Belgian press is said to simultaneously hold contradictory visions of Francophonie, with the French language representing hegemony & cultural conformity, but also representing cultural plurality & solidarity. 2 Tables. D. Weibel

It is argued that certain global changes have led to the emergence of deterritorialized powers, & that a good example of this sort of body without a physical location is the International Francophone Organization (IFO), characterized as a complex institutional system that has moved in rhythm with the world's transformations. The relationship between Francophonie, the IFO, & the concept of the international, global organization is explored. It is contended that while the concept of Francophonie refers to shared language, this shared language itself unites diverse groups into a single organization, creating a multicultural mosaic. Scholars of international relations are said to lack a paradigm to describe a group like the IFO, which manages to combine external & internal factors, macro- & micropolitical dimensions, & both global & local issues. D. Weibel