Nathalie Bélanger, Research Chair in Canadian Francophonie, Faculty of Education
What is it about your job that inspires you most?
A good novel. Romain Gary, Azouz Begag, Robert Musil, Lawrence Durrell, Simone de Beauvoir and Nancy Huston are just some of the writers who help me better understand relationships between people. Since I work in the sociology of education, that’s what inspires me a lot.
How did you come to your area of research?
I’ve always been interested in the relationships of power and in the social representations that make us judge a person as normal/abnormal, on the edge or different, as well as in the consequences of such representations in a group – for example, in a minority environment such as a class room in a French language school.
What was your life’s proudest moment?
Is there anything more rewarding for a university professor than learning that a student for whom you’ve written a good letter of recommendation will receive the scholarship or position he/she applied for?
What person has the most influence in your life today?
Without a doubt, my daughter Océane, who is two and a half years old. In fact, she’s the one who determines how I manage my time.
What would your co-workers be most surprised to know about you?
That I sing in a choir whose repertoire consists of French songs.
