Yesterday, in a collaboration between ÉRIGAL, OVCD, GRIPAL, LIELA, and the Department of Political Science at UQÀM, a public lecture by Dr. Michelle J. E. Martineau took place at UQÀM, entitled: La départementalisation et son rapport à la violence épistémique : effets et conséquences dans la construction politique et identitaire en contexte guadeloupéen.
The event gathered a large audience both in person and online. The attendees showed great interest in both the topic of the presentation and the speaker’s innovative decolonial approach. This enthusiasm resulted in a lively exchange, with numerous questions that enriched the discussion.
About the conference:
The 1950s mark the beginning of the decolonization process in most so-called colonized territories, including Guadeloupe. Under French administration since 1635, the archipelago embarked on a process of “decolonization through integration” (upside-down decolonization) via the Departmentalization Law of March 19, 1946, which transformed its status from colony to overseas department. However, this departmentalization faced significant opposition, both from certain political representatives and from the population.
A simple question arises: what are the effects of departmentalization on Guadeloupean political and cultural identity construction? To answer this, one must consider the notion of violence — and more specifically epistemic violence — in order to highlight how departmentalization fostered the hegemony of certain forms of knowledge while silencing marginalized voices, thereby reinforcing center–periphery and dominant–dominated dynamics in a postcolonial context.
About the speaker:
Michelle E. J. Martineau holds a PhD in Political Science (Université de Montréal), a Master’s in Political Science (UQÀM), and a Master’s in French Public Law (Université des Antilles – Guadeloupe). She is also a lecturer in the Department of Political Science at UQÀM.