Abstract
Language is a source of collective identity that is thought to anchor individual members of contemporary societies. It is an instrument through which culture is maintained. lean Métellus exemplifies the interplay of language and identity in his essay “The Process of Creolization in Haiti and the Pitfalls of the Graphic Form.”1 Métellus evaluates Haitian identity functionally and reinforces at once the fundamental collectivity recognized here with Descartes’s help. As he merges national space and language, Métellus argues that the Créole spoken in Haiti is a source of national identity through its utilitarian and adaptive role.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Notes
The article is one in a fine collection of essays gathered in Kathleen M. Balutansky and Marie-Agnes Sourieau, eds., Caribbean Creolization (Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 1998). The collection reveals the complexity of the contemporary intellectual debates about the issue of creolization—indeed, whether in the Caribbean or elsewhere in the world.
Copyright information
© 2013 Eddy M. Souffrant
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Souffrant, E.M. (2013). Common Identity. In: Identity, Political Freedom, and Collective Responsibility. The Future of Minority Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137337979_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137337979_3
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-47389-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-33797-9
eBook Packages: Palgrave Social Sciences CollectionSocial Sciences (R0)