National Identity

My job is really easy. My only real challenge is my quest to make my students express themselves in English in class. French kids are incredibly shy about speaking English. I hear a lot of "n'saispas" and "n'saisrien," which have come to me to represent trap doors, built into the French language to avoid having to say anything or take the risk of expressing an opinion in front of the class. Other teachers have the same issue; the kids are well-behaved, they're just mute.

This week, one of my high schools is celebrating a sort of "British Week" and today's primary activity involved gathering all the English students together to sing "God Save the Queen." As I expected, the kids all showed up and listened attentively, even enthusiastically, but not one of them sang. I didn't really blame them for this one though. I couldn't even bring myself to sing. It's really an absurd song and the ample religious references, imperial undertones and monarch worship made me a little uncomfortable. "Oh Lord our God arise, Scatter our enemies, And make them fall, Confound their politics, Frustrate their knavish tricks. . ."

I imagine that this would make the French kids even more uncomfortable. They never sing the "Marseillaise." It's played before the French national teams soccer matches, but I don't know where else you would hear it aand few people sing along (or even know the words). The French in general are very reticent about any references to "God" in the public sphere (unless it's in the form of a huge stone structure). I played video of Obama's speech about sending more troops to Afghanistan for my students and they couldn't talk about anything but his parting words: "Thank You. God bless you. God Bless America."

There is a significant debate in France right now about "L'Identité Nationale." They have a website where citizens can post their definitions of what it means to be French. I've followed it pretty closely recently. A lot of people talk about speaking French, Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, Laicité, civil rights, freedom of speech and all that good stuff. Other people (especially since the Swiss minaret ban) say stuff that is blatantly racist ("Being French means having a cathedral and not a mosque in the city center."). Somewhat paradoxically, the government-run website tries to monitor and censor any posts deemed to be racist or potentially hurtful.

It seems that France is currently having an identity crisis. It's partially a result of the crisis resulting from the need to integrate an influx of Muslim immigrants without forcing them to give up their origins, religion and lifestyle, but while also retaining a French identity that many people associate with a culture strongly influenced by Catholic beliefs, holidays and architecture. It's also just a result of progress. The "Marseillaise" is a pretty violent, revolutionary song; it may not represent the country's modern identity as well as "The Star Spangled Banner" represents a contemporary American identity.

I think my follow-up activity to the Obama speech may involve comparisons of American and French national identities. My students find it strange and nationalistic that many Americans display flags on their porches. I haven't mentioned that students in the U.S. recite the "Pledge of Allegiance" at the beginning of each school day. I may clip quotes from the French national identity website and some quotes from Obama's speech (about "right makes might" and America's role in "underwriting" the fight for freedom and democracy across the world in the 20th Century) and find some way to make the kids discuss them. If songs praising deities and monarchs or revolution and decapitation won't make them sing, maybe some good old American nationalism will stir them up a bit.