Few words in contemporary French politics hold the same political and symbolic weight that banlieue does. Translated to “suburb” in English, the term has become one of the most politically charged concepts in modern French vocabulary. Characterized by vast concrete housing projects, towering apartment blocks, and isolated urban planning, the French banlieues are presented in […]
Tag: French
Where do Tacos Come from? // History of Things (Transcript)
This is a transcript of Bearly Political’s most recent podcast. Listen to the full episode here. Zachary: Like a lot of people during the pandemic, I took up a new hobby: hiking. At the time, I was living in Southern France, near these alpine foothills, and every week or so I’d trek across those Mediterranean mountaintops […]
Canada as a “Bi”lingual State
Canada’s debate on the need to be bilingual predates the country’s independence. The last time that Canada’s bilingual duality was not a controversy was when English settlers were just crossing the Appalachian mountains and fur trapping was among the most lucrative businesses. When Europe colonized North America, the French occupied the area that is now […]