Abstract

This interdisciplinary study examines identity construction in Franco-Antillean populations (specifically Martinicans and Guadeloupeans) in the context of assimilation to a White French Republican norm and integration into la métropole. It draws upon the sociological theories of double-consciousness and the “veil” from W. E. B. Du Bois (1903), decolonization from Frantz Fanon (1952), and the act of “decolonizing” the discipline of American anthropology from Akhil Gupta (2022), and is complemented by the cultural significance of Éloge de la Créolité by Raphaël Confiant et al. (1989). Methods included listening to online podcasts by Franco-Antillean creators (“Français à part entière ou entièrement à part?", “Sommes-nous tous devenus créoles?", and “Je dis parfois que j’ai une troisième identité”) and inductively coding their transcripts for manifest and latent themes related to categories of cultural identity. The rich dialogue of these podcasts reveals that Franco-Antillean self-description is most impacted by five components: 1) the differences between discussions of academic frameworks and individuals’ lived experiences, 2) how a person’s familial or regional origins are more important than skin color, 3) the linguistic role of Créole in Antillean society, 4) the diversity of the Antilles as a region, and 5) how being French versus being in France changes your identity. These results show that Franco-Antillean identity is conditional not only on the place which you inhabit and the way you perceive yourself, but also on how others perceive you based on the French standard of universalisme. This study holistically highlights how Franco-Antillean individuals embrace or negotiate different aspects of their identities. Drawing attention to how the intersection of race, nationality, region, and language influences their self-descriptions contributes to our anthropological understanding of how identity is a product of our unique social and cultural contexts in a postcolonial world. 

Advisor

Duval, Marion

Second Advisor

Fitz Gibbon, Heather

Department

French and Francophone Studies; Sociology and Anthropology

Publication Date

2026

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

Download

Share

COinS
 

© Copyright 2026 Katie Koeppl