Abstract:
The history of Francophonie dates back to the discovery of America and the European powers’ settlement in those new territories, followed by the subsequent establishment of colonies in Asia and Africa. Over time, many of the regions gained by France have obtained their independence, but the French influence over those countries has remained.
In 1970, the former colonies have joined a new organization, the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) which gathers nowadays 54 member states, 7 associate states and 27 observers. The main objective of the International Organization of La Francophonie is to encourage solidarity among participating countries, based on the sharing of the French language and other fundamental values.
In the present dissertation, after an historical overview of the Colonization, the Decolonization and the establishment of the Francophonie, we will analyze, by employing discourse analysis tools, various articles from the most renowned French newspapers – Le Monde, Le Figaro and Le Monde Diplomatique.
The main purpose will be to illustrate, through an analysis of the content, how the Francophonie has been presented by the French press throughout the 2000s, especially in the political and cultural fields. Finally, the potential differences among the newspapers will be highlighted in the attempt to understand how the public opinion in France has changed towards the Francophonie.
