French writers of Indochina in search of legitimacy for colonial literature through the journal Les Pages Indochinoises

Abstract

This article analyzes Les Pages Indochinoises as a key platform for colonial literary production in French Indochina. While promoting aesthetic exploration, the journal functioned as a colonial institution that legitimized a French-centered vision of Indochina and excluded Vietnamese voices. Drawing on literary field theory, postcolonial studies, and enunciative scenography, the study examines how the journal constructed symbolic capital through exoticism, editorial strategies, and the publication of special issues consecrating French authors. Particular attention is given to Eugène Pujarniscle, whose writings and critical reflections sought to define a colonial poetics grounded in ethical observation and aesthetic rigor. The article argues that Les Pages Indochinoises reveals both the mechanisms of symbolic domination and the ambivalent spaces of cultural transfer. By asking who speaks, for whom, and with what authority, this article demonstrates that Les Pages Indochinoises functioned not only as a stage of colonial discourse but also as a site of negotiation, tension, and literary experimentation.