Cultural Commodification, Homogenization, Exclusion, and the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana

Abstract

I argue that the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL) played a part in the commodification, homogenization, and exclusion of Louisiana’s francophone cultures. My original goal was to prove my argument, but also to show the extent that CODOFIL commodified, homogenized, and excluded Louisiana’s francophone cultures. The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the outcome of this paper.

Due to the pandemic, archives shut down. As a result, I have had to rely more on secondary sources but also oral histories that I conducted. I collected oral histories from former directors of CODOFIL, scholars, musicians, and others that were either directly involved in CODOFIL or had been involved with the agency or its programs.

Ultimately, I conclude that it is clear that CODOFIL had a part to play in the commodification, homogenization, and exclusion of Louisiana’s francophone cultures, however the extent of its role is unclear. This lack of clarity is a result of limited and restricted access to archival materials during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.