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Mapping (In)Formal Francophone Spaces: Exploring Community Cohesion Through a Mobilities Lens

Author

Listed:
  • Suzanne Huot

    (Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada)

  • Anne-Cécile Delaisse

    (Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada)

  • Nathalie Piquemal

    (Department of Educational Administration, Foundations & Psychology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9, Canada)

  • Leyla Sall

    (Department of Sociology and Criminology, Université de Moncton, Moncton, NB E1A 3E9, Canada)

Abstract

Immigration is being used as a policy lever to sustain the demography of Canadian Francophone minority communities (FMCs). As FMCs become increasingly diverse, concerns have been raised regarding their capacity to develop and sustain a sense of community cohesion. This study draws on the mobilities paradigm to examine how community members within three different FMCs engaged within and beyond formal and informal Francophone spaces within the cities of Metro Vancouver, Winnipeg and Moncton. Using an occupational mapping method to elicit spatial and dialogic data, we analyze the descriptions of maps from 62 French-speaking participants who were born in, or who immigrated to, Canada in order to obtain diverse perspectives on community cohesion. Our findings are presented according to three themes. The first addresses socio-geographically shaped mobilities within the three FMCs, the second examines participants’ engagement in a range of (in)formal Francophone spaces, and the third explores their convergent and divergent mobilities as shaped by local dynamics. We contribute insights into the relationship between forms of spatial and social mobility that shape experiences of community cohesion within FMCs.

Suggested Citation

  • Suzanne Huot & Anne-Cécile Delaisse & Nathalie Piquemal & Leyla Sall, 2025. "Mapping (In)Formal Francophone Spaces: Exploring Community Cohesion Through a Mobilities Lens," Societies, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-21, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:15:y:2025:i:8:p:231-:d:1727692
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mauro Giardiello & Hernan I. Cuervo & Rosa Capobianco, 2024. "How Young Italians Negotiate and Redefine Their Identity in the Mobility Experience," Societies, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-15, February.
    2. Gal Ariely, 2014. "Does Diversity Erode Social Cohesion? Conceptual and Methodological Issues," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 62(3), pages 573-595, October.
    3. Yvonne Riaño & Christina Mittmasser & Laure Sandoz, 2022. "Spatial Mobility Capital: A Valuable Resource for the Social Mobility of Border-Crossing Migrant Entrepreneurs?," Societies, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-21, May.
    4. Joshua D. Vadeboncoeur, 2023. "“(De)constructing NASCAR Space”: A Black Placemaking Analysis of Fan Agency, Mobility, and Resistance," Societies, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-22, January.
    5. Robin James Smith & Tom Hall, 2016. "Pedestrian circulations: urban ethnography, the mobilities paradigm and outreach work," Mobilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(4), pages 498-508, August.
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