Dr. Mariana Ionescu

Tell us about your latest research

"My two main areas of research are the interplay between orality and literacy, and the study of several contemporary French and Francophone authors' writing. My latest research is on the topic of the 'in-between' in the writing of Francophone women. The 'in-between' refers to writers whose writing reflects belonging to two cultures - their culture of origin and their new culture. An increased number of researchers in the humanities agree that the concept of the 'in-between' has the ability to better translate the new cultural and literary practices of the modern world. I intend to write a book on several Caribbean, African and French-Canadian women writers who face new identity signs as a result of the clash between multiple cultural values."

How is your research relevant today?

"I have reasons to believe that the completion of this research project will enrich the critical studies of Francophone literature by suggesting new paths of interpretation. My choice of only female authors has two specific objectives: (a) to show, beginning with their (auto)biographical or (auto)fictional life stories, that their writing originates more often than not from having lived in the 'in-between'; (b) to further develop the theoretical observations about the (auto)fictional genre preferred by many authors selected for my research project."

How does your research affect your teaching?

"I have no doubts that this research will be useful to students, who show themselves increasingly interested by the Francophone studies. Most of the authors I research have been on the reading lists of many North American university programs. My new course on Francophone Literature and Film, offered only at Huron, has been attracting a growing number of students not only from our college, but from the other campuses as well. Having never travelled to many places featured in the novels we study, students are able to supplement their reading by experiencing the culture through film."

Selected Publications:

Book:

Les (en)jeux de l'oral et de l'ecrit: le cas de Panait Istrati. Editions Istros (Romania) : 2000.

Journal Volume:

Questionner l'espace des frontieres. Jorge Calderon and Mariana Ionescu (eds.) Special Issue of the electronic journal of the Canadian Association of University and College Teachers of French Voix plurielles 5.2 (Dec. 2008). 132 p. http://apfucc.net./

Journal Articles:

LEnonciation culturelle chez Panait Istrati et Patrick Chamoiseau : traduction ou trahison ? Voix plurielles 5.2 (Dec. 2008) : 109-121. http://apfucc.net/

L'Indien et l'Inuk d'Yves Theriault par rapport a l'Autre. Dialogues francophones 14 (2008) : 107-115.

"L'ici-la selon Gisele Pineau". Voix plurielles 4.1 (May 2007): 1-14. http://apfucc.net./

"Histoire de la femme cannibale: du collage a l'autofiction". Nouvelles Etudes Francophones 22.1 (Spring 2007): 155-69.

"Postmodernisme et quete identitaire dans le roman et le film Les Portes tournantes. Women in French Studies , Special Issue 2006: 291-310.

"La quete ex-centrique de l'histoire dans les recits d'Antonine Maillet". Francophonies d'Amerique 19 (Printemps 2005): 177-84.

"Le paradigme de l'oralite dans la reception critique de la litterature antillaise" ("The Paradigme of Orality in the Critical Reception of Caribbean Literature"). Dialogues Francophones 8/9 (2003): 257-267.

"Journal du dehors d'Annie Ernaux: 'Je est un autre'" (Exteriors by Annie Ernaux: 'I is the Other'). The French Review Vol. 74, No. 5 (April 2001): 934-43.



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