Mark DeWitt Publishes Essay on French Oral Traditions

Professor Emeritus Mark DeWitt just published his first essay in French, "Au-delà de l'archive sonore et la bibliothèque" ("Beyond the sound archive and the library"), a chapter in the book Sources du patrimoines oral francophone et chemins de connaissance Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Amérique du Nord, a source of francophone oral heritage and ways of knowing. The publication explores cultural connections in oral traditions among the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in France (from whence many Acadians originally migrated), French Canada, and the Caribbean basin.

The book is part of a larger effort to launch a digital humanities project called Francoralité. The project will serve as a platform for further research on this topic, gathering together and enhancing archival materials from Université Poitiers and several partner institutions, including The University of Louisana at Lafayette and its Center for Louisiana Studies. More information is available at https://app.francoralite.net/.