Bougival Accord at impasse: 'Nothing can move forward without participation of Kanak people'
Alison Sargent welcomes Dr. Andrew Smith, Historian of Modern France and Lecturer in Liberal Arts at Queen Mary University of London. Dr. Smith offers a thoughtful assessment of the Bougival agreement and its highly contested reception in New Caledonia, drawing attention to the deeper undercurrents of mistrust, political plurality, and colonial legacy that shape this pivotal moment. The accord recognises a “state” within France, yet it also embeds mechanisms of control that reignite fears among the Indigenous Kanak population of political marginalization. [Continue Reading]
