Cajun

By Rosol Otear

General Context

The term Cajun refers to the descendants of the Acadians—French Catholics expelled from Canada’s maritime provinces by the British in 1755 during Le Grand Dérangement - the Great Upheaval. Many Acadians eventually settled in Louisiana. Over time, their culture merged with Spanish, African, Native American, and French influences, forming a unique cultural identity. Historically, Cajuns were considered as outsiders distinct from other white communities, occupying an ambiguous position in Louisiana's social order. They were marginalized for their poverty, lack of formal education, and cultural differences, including their French dialect and Catholicism.

For much of the 19th and early 20th centuries, Cajuns were stereotyped as uneducated and impoverished, often grouped with "poor whites." Such depictions persisted in literature and media, contrasting with romanticized portrayals like Longfellow’s Evangeline, which highlighted their resilience and cultural richness. Over time, Cajuns reasserted control over their narrative, creating fictional characters that celebrate their unique identity. By the mid-20th century, this shift coincided with their broader social acceptance as "white," though their ethnic identity remained distinct.

Connection to Novel

In Ernest J. Gaines’s works, including Of Love and Dust, Cajuns embody the intersection of race, class, and power in Louisiana. Positioned above Black individuals but below elite white landowners, Cajuns occupy a liminal space in the social hierarchy. This dynamic is often explored through themes of land ownership and authority, where Cajun characters lease land from wealthier whites and wield power over Black laborers.

Gaines’s nuanced portrayal reflects Louisiana’s "kaleidoscopic racial worlds" (Clark 2020), shaped by its global origins as a French territory and its history of ethnic and racial blending. These tensions play out through the interactions between the Cajun overseer Sidney Bonbon and Black characters such as James Kelly and Marcus, highlighting both shared struggles and stark divisions. Jim sees Bonbon as white, but that does not equate to Bonbon being an equal to Marshall. However, Bonbon told James that, “We is nothing but little people. They make us do what they want us to do and they don’t tell us nothing” (258). Therefore, while James believed that Marshall will grant Bonbon equal access to power, he fails to realize that Marshall views Bonbon as inferior yet above African Americans in the quarters. Marshall views his malleable “whiteness” as a tool he can exploit to keep the African American in order.