Nigerian French Academics in Francophone Institutions: Experiences of Language and Professional Identity

Nigerian scholars in French language and literature who hold positions at or collaborate regularly with francophone African universities occupy a distinctive professional space in which their linguistic, cultural, and academic identities are negotiated within an institutional context that is simultaneously familiar and foreign. This study investigates the professional and linguistic identity experiences of Nigerian French academics working in or with francophone African institutions, drawing on narrative inquiry methodology. In-depth narrative interviews were conducted with twenty-two Nigerian French academics with current or recent affiliations with universities in Cameroon, Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, and Gabon. Narrative analysis focused on identity negotiation, language competence confidence, institutional belonging, and perceptions of Nigerian French in relation to francophone academic norms. Results reveal three dominant narrative themes: the experience of linguistic legitimacy contestation in which Nigerian-accented French was subjected to implicit academic evaluation; strategic code management in which participants adapted register and vocabulary to francophone institutional expectations; and a distinctive Nigerian-francophone professional identity that participants constructed as a productive hybrid positioning rather than a deficit. Participants at Cameroonian institutions reported the most comfortable linguistic integration, attributed to shared Afro-francophone academic culture. Those at French metropolitan universities reported the strongest experiences of accent-based linguistic marginalisation. The study contributes to understanding of African French academic identity and argues for formal recognition of Nigerian French academic expertise within ECOWAS higher education cooperation frameworks. Keywords: French academic identity, Nigerian scholars, francophone universities, narrative inquiry, professional identity