Choice Reviews Online · 2007 · 134 citations · 0 references
HumanitiesComparative LiteratureEthnic StudiesDiaspora StudiesPostcolonial StudiesTransnational StudiesBlack NationalismBlack StudiesColonialismFrancophone LiteratureMulticulturalismPostcolonial TheoryBlack Identity PoliticsBlack TransnationalismColonial Boundary LegacyDiasporic Black CultureFrancophone French LiteratureImmigrant MinoritiesTransnational Black NetworksTransnational Blackness
France has a long history of a vibrant black presence, yet recent violent incidents have prompted scrutiny of how ethnic minorities are treated. The book interrogates France’s colonial legacy and identity politics by examining how black expressive culture is reconfigured as global culture within France’s multicultural spaces, raising questions about French identity, immigration, and power dynamics.
France has always hosted a rich and vibrant black presence within its borders. But recent violent events have raised questions about France's treatment of ethnic minorities. Challenging the identity politics that have set immigrants against the mainstream, Black France explores how black expressive culture has been reformulated as global culture in the multicultural and multinational spaces of France. Thomas brings forward questions such as - Why is France a privileged site of civilization? Who is French? Who is an immigrant? Who controls the networks of production? Black France poses an urgently needed reassessment of the French colonial legacy. Dominic Thomas is Professor of Comparative Literature and Chair of the Department of French and Francophone Studies at University of California, Los Angeles. He is author of Nation-Building, Propaganda, and Literature in Francophone Africa (IUP, 2002).