In this paper, I want to explore the notion of belonging to Acadia considering the preservation of Acadian culture and the French language in Prince Edward Island. It seems that the discourse which has emerged in the past 10 years or so brings us from “une culture du Retour” (Glissant, 1997), that is, a culture based on an interpretation of the past that makes the 1755-1758 Deportations the foundation of the Acadian identity, to “une culture du Détour.” The Culture of Detour is one in which prevails a sense of belonging to the community that is experienced at the level of a relational multiplicity modifying the opposition between the Same and the Other (Paré, 2003).

This opening from the Detour favors a social cohesion experienced daily as a relationship of convenience (Todorov, 1989). This relationship of convenience invites us to rethink the notion of belonging to l’Acadie de l’île according to a new way of narrating oneself. Questioning the Detour and the Relationship thus amounts to questioning the openness to the Other and to a redeployment of community forces favoring the survival of the Acadian culture and the French language in Prince Edward Island.