Francophone communities through the eyes of a... geographer
Anne Gilbert is a deeply committed researcher, and her work involves what may appear to be an unlikely duo at first glance: geography and Francophone communities. A University of Ottawa professor since 1991, she's conducted several studies on the multi-faceted development of Francophone communities outside Quebec.
"Geography helps us see social life under a whole new light," she says. "What do spaces and locales in a region like ours look like? How are they built or created by the people who live, visit and work there, and even re-invent themselves there? How, in turn, do these spaces and locales weigh on people's daily lives? Intriguing issues, certainly. And if you dig a bit deeper, you see that places and spaces ultimately become the reflection of the individuals and groups who've made them their home. That's why geographers, beyond the landscapes, are equally fascinated by people's reality, their actions, their values and their aspirations."
For the last few years, Professor Gilbert has been the lead researcher for the Francophone minorities branch of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Citizenship and Minorities (CIRCEM). Her current research focuses on the vitality of minority Francophone communities and will shed light on how the place in which they live affects their development.
"The University of Ottawa is of course very well located," notes Gilbert. "Canada's Francophone and Anglophone cultures converge in the national capital, living as a majority on one side and as a minority on the other. It's a unique place to study both the tensions that convergence can cause and what drives their ability to accommodate each other over time."
Anne Gilbert also leads a study entitled Projet Ottawa (La frontière au quotidien : l'expérience sociale des lieux à Ottawa-Gatineau). The study looks at the kinds of impact the National Capital Region’s border has on people’s daily lives from many perspectives. Through a series of interviews, Professor Gilbert focuses not only on the space-related practices of individuals and groups (for example, where people chose to live and shop), but also on how the border is perceived given the region’s linguistic and cultural duality.By Gabrielle Thom-Gadbois
Published: March 2010