La Vie en Rose: Reflections on a Training Stay at Sorbonne Nouvelle

From the Latin “mobilitas” and Old French “mobilité,” the word “mobility” initially referred to changeableness, inconsistency, and fickleness, not being fixed or stationary. Since the 15th century, it has come to denote the practice of movement, whether geographical or social. Over the past fifty years, within the sphere of educational internationalization, mobility has become both a means and an environment to enhance the circulation of ideas and knowledge. It is within this framework that I, as a lecturer in French as a foreign language at the University of Teacher Education (UTE) Lucerne, had the opportunity to undertake a training mobility stay.

This mobility experience took place at the University Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris, France, under the Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP), focusing on training in the fields of language and social sciences. The University Sorbonne Nouvelle is renowned for its high-level multidisciplinary programs in languages, literature, arts, and social sciences. It was chosen for several reasons: the established reputation of its staff in teaching and research, the institution’s historical excellence at both European and global levels, and the city’s significant role in Francophone history and culture. I spent three days in training there, participating in a course, a thesis defense, and a colloquium; exchanging teaching-research practices and discussing future cooperation perspectives. The welcome by Prof. Dr. James Costa and his team at Sorbonne Nouvelle University was very warm, and the entire experience was very enriching. Being in a different geographical and academic environment allowed me to see what others are doing, both differently and similarly.

Beyond the undeniable value of mobility for training - acquiring knowledge, skills, and developing professional identity - it also made me to reflect on mobility not just as circulation or changeableness, but on what remains within us after such experiences, and what becomes anchored in our teaching-research practice, connecting us across time and space. As the coordinator of the course “Interculturalité et mobilité” at the UTE Lucerne, I was able to define a complementary perspective on approaching mobility for pre-service and in-service teachers. Indeed, in an era where mobility is celebrated as a hallmark of modernity for its benefits to individuals and societies, it is crucial to recognize and situate the structures and fixed points, such as institutions and people, without which mobilities would be immobilities. These elements necessarily influence the realization, modalities, and destinations of movement. In this context, immobility becomes a resource. For instance, the International Relations Office at UTE Lucerne, as a fixed structure, facilitates mobility and ensures the perpetuation of the knowledge and skills acquired during mobility in teaching and research practices.

This invites us to think of mobility and immobility as a continuum rather than a dualism or opposition, and of individuals as being in a constant alternation of immobilities and mobilities. Ultimately, this dynamic interplay fosters a rich environment for continuous knowledge production and innovation, paving the way for an academic vie en rose.

• Save the date: conference with Prof. Dr. habil Jésabel Robin »Didactique de la mobilité. Quoi de neuf ?« 28.03.2024, 13h15.