Cette thèse met en perspective le contexte particulier du recul de l’enseignement du français dans les universités portugaises comme le symptôme de phénomènes plus vastes, dont la redéfinition de la mission des universités dans un champ éducatif transnationalisé, ou la mise en cause des humanités dont la littérature constituait un élément central. Sont examinées les transformations à l’oeuvre dans les sociétés contemporaines marquées par la dimension culturelle qui caractérise la mondialisation actuelle et par les bouleversements qui affectent la place et le statut des langues et l’ensemble des catégories qui informent les disciplines traditionnelles comme les Études françaises. La division disciplinaire en langues, littératures et cultures, est interrogée au regard de divers facteurs, comme la mise en valeur des fondements culturels de la langue, la redéfinition de la littérature comme discours et phénomèn! e culturel parmi d’autres, ou l’émergence de domaines professionnels consacrés à la gestion de contenus, de significations et de valeurs culturelles. Du point de vue épistémologique, la culture légitime et canonique et les littératures nationales sont également observées selon la perspective des Études culturelles et postcoloniales, qui remettent en cause les frontières disciplinaires et les logiques « mono-identitaires ». À la lumière de l’analyse de ces transformations la réflexion débouche sur un projet didactique qui envisage les Études françaises, mais aussi l’enseignement de la littérature et les humanités en général comme un chantier en devenir, où les disciplines traditionnelles sont amenées à se repenser et à se réinventer au contact de discours culturels et littéraires renouvelés dans lesquels l’adaptation et le mélange des langages jouent un rôle décisif / This thesis problematizes the specific context of the decline in the teaching of French in Portuguese universities as a symptom of other phenomena, such as the redefinition of the mission of universities in a transnationalised educational field, and the questioning of the Humanities, partly caused by the destabilization of areas of study where literature was a central element. Ongoing transformations in contemporary society, dictated by the cultural dimension of globalisation, have led to changes in the place and status of languages, which in turn have affected the categories that inform the so-called traditional disciplines, of which ‘French Studies’ is an example. As a consequence, the disciplinary division between languages, literatures and cultures has been questioned from a variety of angles, such as the valorization of the cultural essence of language, or the re-definition of literature as discourse and cultural phenomenon. This di! vision has been further destabilized by emerging professional fields dedicated to the production, management and circulation of cultural contents, meanings and values. Furthermore, canonical cultures and national literatures are now conceptualised and read from critical places informed by fields such as Cultural Studies and Postcolonial Studies, fields which question disciplinary boundaries and ‘mono-identitary’ logic. In a context where French Studies, as well as the teaching of literature, and the Humanities more generally speaking, are being induced to rethink and reinvent themselves, it becomes crucial to consider discourses that are closer to contemporary socio-cultural realities, discourses which operate within webs of intertextuality that are somewhat alien to canonical literatures and revelatory of the diversity of the cultures and languages associated with them / A tese problematiza o contexto específico do declínio do ensino do francês nas universidades portuguesas enquanto sintoma de outros fenómenos, como a redefinição da missão das universidades num campo educacional transnacionalizado e o questionamento das Humanidades, provocada pela desestabilização de áreas de ensino em que a literatura era um elemento central. As transformações em curso na sociedade contemporânea, marcadas pela dimensão cultural que caracteriza a globalização, levaram a transformações em relação ao lugar e ao estatuto das línguas, afetando as categorias que informam as disciplinas ditas tradicionais, das quais fazem parte os "Estudos Franceses".Assim, a divisão disciplinar em línguas, literaturas e culturas, tem sido questionada em relação a diversos fatores, tais como a valorização da essência cultural da língua, a redefinição da literatura enquanto discurso e fenómeno cultural entre outros, ou ainda o surgimento de campos profissionais dedicados à produção, gestão e comunicação de conteúdos, significados e valores culturais. Além disso, a cultura legítima e canónica e as literaturas nacionais são pensadas e interpretadas a partir de lugares críticos como os Estudos Culturais e Pós-Coloniais, questionando as fronteiras disciplinares e as lógicas "mono-identitárias". Num contexto em que os Estudos Franceses mas também o ensino da literatura, e as Humanidades em geral, são levados a repensar-se e a reinventar-se, torna-se crucial considerar novos discursos culturais e literários.