Liverpool University Press Disruptive Discourses by Francophone Women: 107 (Contemporary French and Francophone Cultures)

Disruptive Discourses by Francophone Women engages with the notion of disruption in women’s cultural production in French from a wide range of perspectives, spanning the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and incorporating a variety of Francophone contexts. With a pluri-genre focus, the volume interrogates both the conceptualisation and textual representation of disruption in a myriad of forms including social, political, physical and sexual manifestations of disruptive behaviour. Organised thematically, the chapters consider, inter alia, angles such as ageing, motherhood, activism, queerness and migrancy and how they relate to the overarching topic of disruption. The volume is particularly concerned with the gendered dynamics of disruption and an exploration as to why certain values and behaviours are deemed transgressive and problematic when applied to women. Perhaps most importantly, the volume is interested in the creative potential of disruption to challenge oppressive norms, stereotypes and social structures. When harnessed affirmatively, as the chapters demonstrate, disruption becomes an effective tool of transformation and can produce new ways of thinking and being for women outside of patriarchal systems. Disruptive Discourses not only highlights the importance of listening to women who speak out and speak up, it also celebrates and reappropriates disruption as a powerful and positive attribute.