Professor Sylvie Grosjean, the CCRMF’s new director, stated that by focusing on the excellence, collaboration and strengths of the Francophonie, the CCRMF is consolidating its role as a driving force behind the development of new knowledge in French, all while strengthening collaborations between researchers and partner institutions, both in Canada and internationally. Hence, “new research programs that study youth and cultural creativity in Africa, project management and cooperation, but also French and how it is taught, are new research directions that will greatly assist us in our mission, which is to advance the Francophonie and knowledge in French.”
Former CCRMF director Professor Jonathan Paquette, who led the creation of the chair associated with Saint Paul University and the renewal of the Senghor chair, says that “research in French is crucial to respond to the needs of Francophone communities and to share knowledge in a wide range of fields. These new chairs will strengthen our collective ability to produce, mobilize and share this knowledge.”
Four new chairs
The CCRMF will expand to include four new research chairs, namely: a Senghor chair, two Canadian Francophonie chairs and one international Francophonie chair.
Professor Lavagnon Ika from the Telfer School of Management will hold the University of Ottawa Senghor Chair in Human-Centred Project Governance. This chair aims to renew our understanding of, and the practices involved in, major project governance in the Francophonie, creating a bridge between the CCRMF and the Réseau international des Chaires Senghor de la Francophonie.
Faculty of Social Sciences Professor Stéphanie Gaudet will now hold the Canadian Francophonie Research Chair on Youth Civic Participation. This chair will examine the future of democracy in terms of Canada’s Francophonie by comparing the lived experiences of Francophones in majority language settings in Quebec with those of Francophones living in minority language settings outside Quebec. Professor Gaudet will analyze how artistic and cultural practices can be a third vector for education in democratic citizenship.
Professor Joël Thibeault from the Faculty of Education will hold the Canadian Francophonie Research Chair on Teaching French. This chair aims to conduct innovative projects on the relevance of contextualized French-language education that has been tailored to the unique characteristics of students in Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan.
Département de français Professor Kasereka Kavwahirehi will hold the International Francophonie Research Chair on Youth Culture and Ideas of the Future in Francophone Africa. This chair will study how young artists, authors and cultural content creators are forging a different vision of the future by reactivating Africa’s history and memory. By analyzing these presentations and stories, the chair will help us understand the aspirations of Francophone societies in Africa.
Two renewed chairs
The CCRMF also announced that it would be renewing the International Francophonie Research Chair on Cultural Heritage Policies, held by Professor Jonathan Paquette, as well as the International Francophonie Research Chair on Political Aspirations and Movements in Francophone Africa, held by Professor Marie-Eve Desrosiers. The renewal of these two chairs testifies to the excellence of their work and their contributions to Francophone research.
The first chair associated with Saint Paul University
One of the CCRMF’s new initiatives is the creation of a research chair associated with Saint Paul University, which will be held by Professor Sophie Cloutier. Her work will focus on issues involving diversity and hospitality in the French-speaking world, a topic that is central to the social and cultural transformations that are shaping today’s Francophonie.
Saint Paul University President Louis Patrick Leroux says that “We are extremely proud that Professor Cloutier will be holding this new research chair. It will be our university’s first Francophone research chair in association with the University of Ottawa’s CCRMF. This first chair illustrates our commitment to collaboration, to interinstitutional dialogue and to bolstering the visibility and impact of Francophone research for, and about, the French-speaking world.”
Thanks to these new chairs, the CCRMF reaffirms its commitment not only to the future of research on the Francophone world, but also to the future of the Francophonie.