Penser la binarité: logiques, discours, imaginaires

Abstract

This editorial introduces the issue Thinking Beyond Binarity in Francophone Literatures and Discourses, devoted to the critical analysis of binary logics and their effects in discursive practices, symbolic constructions, and contemporary imaginaries. It proposes a shared theoretical framework for the collected contributions, distinguishing between logical, linguistic, cognitive, and social levels, in order to show that binarity cannot be understood as a natural or universal principle, but rather as a historically situated mode of formalization mobilized through discourse. By revisiting several major philosophical references, from Aristotelian logic to contemporary theories of complexity, the editorial highlights the existence of zones of indeterminacy, third terms, and in-between spaces that escape the “either/or” model. It also emphasizes the central role of language in producing binarity, through discursive mechanisms such as antonymy and interpretive polarization, which tend to rigidify oppositions that are in fact gradual or relational. Finally, the editorial situates the issue’s contributions within current debates in Francophone studies, particularly in linguistics, philosophy, gender studies, and ecocriticism. It shows that thinking beyond binarity does not mean abolishing all distinctions or promoting generalized undifferentiation, but rather questioning the conditions under which dualisms are constructed, legitimized, and transcended, in order to open up analytical frameworks more attentive to the complexity of experiences, identities, and relationships to the world.