SFPS Monthly Mailing: September 2017
- Calls for Papers
1.1 International conference on Maghrebine Society and the Challenges of Modernity (Deadline: 15 September)
1.2 Liverpool University Press Francophone Postcolonial Studies book series (Deadline: 9 October)
1.3 Édouard Glissant, l’éclat et l’obscur: Colloque international et transdisciplinaire organisé par l’Université des Antilles et Louisiana State University (Deadline: 30 October)
1.4 Enseigner la traduction dans le contexte francophone: Colloque international (Deadline: 31 October)
1.5 The French Colonial Historical Society 44th Annual Conference (Deadline: 1 November)
- Job Opportunities
2.1 Assistant Professor, Oklahoma State University (Deadline: 15 October)
2.2 Assistant or Associate Professor of French and Francophone Studies, Pennsylvania State University (Deadline: 1 November)
- Announcements
3.1 Voyages, représentations et conscientisation (22 décembre)
- New Titles
4.1 With a Weapon and a Grin: Postcard Images of France’s Black African Colonial Troops in WWI (Schiffer Publishing, 2017)
4.2 Théâtre dialectique postcolonial: Aimé Césaire et Derek Walcott (Garnier, 2017)
4.3 Europe on the Move: Refugees in the Era of the Great War (Manchester University Press, 2017)
4.4 Madeleine’s Children: Family, Freedom, Secrets, and Lies in France’s Indian Ocean Colonies (Oxford University Press, 2017)
4.5 Futures of Black Radicalism (Verso Books, 2017)
4.6 Death, Image, Memory: The Genocide in Rwanda and its Aftermath in Photography and Documentary Film (Palgrave, 2017)
4.7 The Politics of Secularism, Religion, Diversity, and Institutional Change in France and Turkey (Columbia University Press, 2017)
4.8 Contesting French West Africa: Battles over Schools and the Colonial Order, 1900-1950 (University of Nebraska Press, 2017)
- Calls for Papers/Contributions
1.1 International conference on Maghrebine Society and the Challenges of Modernity
November 14-15, 2017
School of Arts and Humanities, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes, Morocco
Just like the rest of the Islamic world, the Maghrebine society is in a state of flux where external influences and internal changes are shaping the structure of the society on vertical and horizontal levels. The tremendous impact of colonialism, the massive power of globalization and the unprecedented revolution in digital communication have accelerated the rhythm of transition from a traditional community where values and norms are deeply rooted in history to a society that has massively been exposed to modernization for some decades.
But unlike the West where modernity implied fundamental changes and ruptures in the structure of thinking, modernity in the Maghreb is still a problematic and controversial issue. For some, modernity should stick only to the hardware, and to the palpable and physical needs, such as economic progress, social welfare, human development and technology, but should not challenge the fundamentals of the society. Western definition of modernity is even deemed detrimental and jeopardizing the essence and identity of this community. For others, modernity is a universal heritage that celebrates human agency, reason and freedom of thought and expression and should, therefore, be locally appropriated as well.
The gulf between these two converging narratives is today manifest in almost every aspect of social and cultural discourses. Civil society is gaining more ground, artists and intellectuals are making their voices more vocal, minorities, women and youth are audaciously challenging hegemonic and patriarchal ideologies. But at the same time, radical thoughts, conservative values are appealing to a large segment of society that identifies with the past in the name of authenticity and revivalism.
The aim of this international conference is to explore the dynamics of this transition, to analyze the ins and outs of this society in this particular context and to contribute in mapping possible and constructive routes for the future. The second objective of the conference is to provide a platform for academics and researchers from the Maghreb as well as from other countries so as to think together on how academia could contribute in a smooth transition towards modernity.
We invite abstracts for presentations to address the following issues in the Maghrebine context (but are not strictly limited to):
- Body/identity politics
- Youth culture
- New voices of modern art and literature
- Social movements
- Civil society
- Diasporic writers and artists
- Modern Muslim thinkers from the Maghreb
- Radical Islam
- Social media and social transformation
- Education and the question of modernity
- Multiculturalism and the rights of minorities
- Maghrebine women and gender issues
The conference language is both English and French. Abstracts should all be submitted in English
Submission requirements
- Abstracts should not exceed 500 words
- The biography should include title, institution and academic publications
Important dates
- The deadline for abstract submission: September 15, 2017
- Notification of acceptance: October 15, 2017
- Conference date: November 14-15, 2017
International conference organized by Laboratoire de Recherche en Culture, Genre & Littérature (LaRCGL),
Conference coordinator
Dr. Mohssine Nachit: prmohssinenachit@gmail.com
Organizing committee
Dr. Ahmed Chouari
Dr. Zohra Lhioui
Dr. Mohamed Lehdahda
Dr. Mohammed Yachoulti
1.2 Call for Proposals: Liverpool University Press Francophone Postcolonial Studies book series
The Society for Francophone Postcolonial Studies invites submissions for its Francophone Postcolonial Studies book series, published with Liverpool University Press https://liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/collections/series-francophone-postcolonial-studies.
The Society for Francophone Postcolonial Studies (SFPS) is an international association which exists in order to promote, facilitate and otherwise support the work of all scholars and researchers working on colonial/postcolonial studies in the French-speaking world. SFPS was created in 2002 with the aim of continuing and developing the pioneering work of its predecessor organization, the Association for the Study of Caribbean and African Literature in French (ASCALF). SFPS does not seek to impose a monolithic understanding of the ‘postcolonial’ and it consciously aims to appeal to as diverse a range of members as possible, in order to engage in wide-ranging debate on the nature and legacy of colonialism in and beyond the French-speaking world. SFPS encourages work of a transcultural, transhistorical, comparative and interdisciplinary nature. It implicitly seeks to decolonize the term Francophone, emphasizing that it should refer to all cultures where French is spoken (including, of course, France itself), and it encourages a critical reflection on the nature of the cognate disciplines of French Studies, on the one hand, and Anglophone Postcolonial Studies, on the other.
Our vision for this publication with Liverpool University Press, launched in 2010, is that each volume will constitute a sort of état présent on a significant topic embracing various expressions of Francophone Postcolonial Cultures (e.g. literature, film, music, history), in relation to pertinent geographical areas (e.g. France/Belgium, the Caribbean, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Asia, Polynesia) and different periods (slavery, colonialism, the post-colonial era, etc.). Above all, we are looking to publish edited volumes of contributions which, individually and collectively, will help to set new research agendas across our field. Please note that we do not publish conference proceedings in this series.
Proposals for edited volumes should be submitted to the editor, Dr Charlotte Baker [c.baker@lancaster.ac.uk] by Monday 9 October 2017 and should be sufficiently developed such that a draft of the full manuscript can be submitted for review by the Editorial Board by 1 March 2018.
1.3 Édouard Glissant, l’éclat et l’obscur: Colloque international et transdisciplinaire organisé par l’Université des Antilles et Louisiana State University
Du 20 au 23 mars 2018
Campus de Schoelcher, Martinique
Organisé par :
Dominique Aurelia (Dominique.Aurelia@univ-antilles.fr)
Jean-Pierre Sainton (Jean-Pierre.Sainton@univ-antilles,fr)
Alexandre Leupin (alexandreleupin@hotmail.com)
Tout-Monde, Relation, créolisation ne sont pas des grigris, des mots d’ordre, des concepts abstraits. Ils sont des notions concrètes qui nomment des réels et opèrent aujourd’hui dans le « monde d’un seul tenant ». Édouard Glissant incite chercheurs et créateurs à échapper tout d’abord aux silos étanches des disciplines et des arts, pour voyager vers une transversalité qui fasse traverse de toutes les spécialisations. Cette mise en commun doit ensuite se mesurer avec des réels, qu’ils soient de désir, de lieux, d’histoires ou de représentations. Nous invitons donc universitaires et créateurs à dire en quoi la parole et l’écrit de Glissant ont anamorphosé la vision qu’ils avaient de leurs diverses pratiques. L’éclat, ce sera les relations évidentes et pourtant à dire du Tout-Monde, il sera conjugué avec l’obscur, ce sera la créolisation imprévisible et en devenir de tous savoirs.
Le colloque « Edouard Glissant, l’éclat et l’obscur » est le pendant d’un colloque international et transdisciplinaire qui eut lieu à LSU, en novembre 2016, en partenariat avec l’Université des Antilles, sous le titre de « Louisiane/Antilles : un espace-temps partagé », rendu possible par les services culturels de l’Ambassade de France à Washington, Etats-Unis.
Le colloque s’articule selon deux axes fondamentaux :
- Cultures (Art, littérature, philosophie, épistémologie)
- Histoires (Mémoires, esclavages, anthropologie)
Les conférences dureront 45 minutes (temps de discussion inclus). Une heure sera consacrée aux séances pleinières (temps de discussion inclus). Deux sessions seront réservées aux étudiants gradués pour présenter leurs recherches. Un comité sélectionnera les conférences pour publication, en revue ou sous forme de livre.
Prière de de soumettre un résumé de votre proposition de contribution à Dominique Aurélia (Dominique.Aurelia@univ-antilles.fr) avant le 30 octobre 2017. Le résumé de 400 mots doit comporter votre affiliation professionnelle et votre adresse email.
Le colloque sera précédé d’un mini-séminaire par Alexandre Leupin, du 12 au 16 mars, sur la philosophie d’Édouard Glissant, à laquelle il a consacré un ouvrage. Le colloque et le séminaire sont rendus possible grâce à la généreuse contribution des services culturels de l’Ambassade de France à Washington, Etats-Unis.
En savoir plus: http://www.fabula.org/actualites/edouard-glissant-l-eclat-et-l-obscurcolloque-universite-des-antilles-20-23-mars-2018_80280.php.
1.4 Enseigner la traduction dans le contexte francophone: Colloque international
Université Paris-Sorbonne / Institut des Etudes Avancées
26-27 avril 2018
Pourquoi et comment enseigne-t-on la traduction dans le contexte universitaire francophone ? Selon le Livre blanc sur la recherche angliciste en France en 2001, “Les cours de traduction (thème et version) tiennent une place de choix, aussi bien dans la filière traditionnelle (littérature et civilisation) qu’en LEA (Langues Etrangères Appliquées)”. Or, aujourd’hui, seulement une soixantaine des 2300 membres de la Société des Anglicistes de l’Enseignement Supérieur, principale société savante de l’anglistique en France, se revendiquent traductologues, dont une majorité dans le domaine littéraire. Cette marginalisation au sein du champ de la recherche en anglistique semble quelque peu paradoxale au vu de l’importance accordée à la traduction dans les UFR de langues, y compris pour les concours. Le profil des enseignants, majoritairement non-spécialistes, a-t-il un impact sur le statut de la discipline et la qualité de la réflexion pédagogique qui l’entoure ? L’enseignement de la traduction nécessite-t-il des compétences en traductologie ? Thème et version s’enseignent-ils de la même manière ? La place de la traduction en LLCE, en LEA est-elle la même ?
Au-delà du champ de l’anglistique dans l’institution universitaire française, quel statut pour la traduction dans d’autres champs disciplinaires et d’autres contextes pédagogiques francophones ? Quels sont les constantes et les variables dans l’enseignement de la traduction d’une UFR, d’une institution, d’un pays à l’autre ? La traduction semble par ailleurs bien placée pour répondre aux besoins des formations en langues en matière de professionnalisation, le secteur des prestations de service en langues étant en pleine expansion. La professionnalisation des études fera-t-elle évoluer la place accordée à la traductologie au sein de l’université ?
Dix ans après le colloque “Traductologie et enseignement de la traduction à l’université” organisé par Michel Ballard à l’Université d’Artois en 2007, le colloque “Enseigner la traduction dans le contexte francophone”, organisé par les laboratoires VALE (Université Paris-Sorbonne), Pléiade (Université Paris-Nord), et PRISMES (Université Sorbonne Nouvelle – Paris 3), a pour objet de mettre en lumière non seulement les dernières innovations didactiques en matière de traduction et traductologie, mais également le contexte historique, épistémologique et sociologique qui façonne sa place dans le milieu universitaire francophone.
Date limite de soumission des propositions : 31 octobre 2017
Nous souhaitons engager une discussion autour des questions suivantes (liste non-exhaustive) :
- La relation entre théorie et pratique
- Le contexte d’enseignement : quel enseignement pour quel niveau et quel département ?
- Les modes d’évaluation : barèmes et concours
- Approches sociologiques : le profil des enseignants
- Approches comparatistes (anglais / autres langues ; France / pays ou région francophone / autres contextes)
- Approches historiques : diachronie des méthodes pédagogiques / des profils enseignants
- Approches professionnalisantes : préparer les étudiants à la pratique professionnelle
Les propositions de communication sont à déposer pour le 31 octobre, exclusivement sur la plateforme EasyChair. Elles doivent être accompagnées des informations suivantes :
- nom de l’auteur ;
- établissement et laboratoire ;
- courriel ;
- résumé de 300-400 mots spécifiant « proposition de communication » ou « proposition de poster » ;
- 3 à 5 mots-clés ;
- courte notice bio-bibliographique.
Comité scientifique :
Fabrice Antoine, Université de Lille ; Frédérique Brisset, Université de Lille ; Fayza El Qasem, ESIT – École Supérieure d’Interprètes et de Traducteurs, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle-Paris 3; Charles Le Blanc, Université d’Ottawa, Canada ; Clíona Ní Ríordáin, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle-Paris 3 ; Bruno Poncharal, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle-Paris 3 ; Yen-Mai Tran-Gervat, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle-Paris 3 ; Frédéric Weinmann, Lycée Hélène Boucher, Paris ; Aly Sambou, Université Gaston-Berger, Saint-Louis, Sénégal
En savoir plus: http://www.fabula.org/actualites/enseigner-la-traduction-dans-le-contexte-francophone_80053.php.
1.5 The French Colonial Historical Society 44th Annual Conference
The French Colonial Historical Society invites proposals for the 44th Annual Meeting, which will take place in Seattle, Washington, May 31-June 2, 2018. Please see details below.
The 44th annual meeting of the French Colonial Historical Society (FCHS) will take place in Seattle, Washington from Thursday, 31 May to Saturday, 2 June 2018 at the Hotel Sorrento. This boutique hotel is a twenty-minute walk from downtown Seattle. Co-hosts include: Seattle University, the University of Washington, Washington State University, and Western Washington University.
This year’s conference theme is « Indigeneity », which invites participants to consider themes related to indigeneity, nativism, identity, ethnicity, and nationality in French imperial contexts and post-colonial spaces. Proposals on all aspects of overseas France and its legacies are welcome.
The Society encourages students, scholars, and educators from all disciplines and career levels to submit proposals. Papers may be delivered in English or French.
Individual paper proposals should include a 200-word summary, as well as the title of the paper, presenter’s name, institutional affiliation, e-mail address, phone number, and a brief curriculum vitae. All components of the proposal should be integrated into a single file MS-Word document.
Proposals for complete panels or round tables will contain the same information for each participant, as well as a title for their panel/round table. Please also provide contact information and a short C.V. for the moderator and/or discussant if one is included in the proposal. The program committee will assist in locating moderators, if necessary.
Please indicate in your proposal whether audiovisual equipment is required for your proposal.
Individuals wishing to moderate a session should send a statement of interest that included research specialization, contact information, and a brief c.v.
Individual and panel proposals shouldd be submitted via email to frenchcolonial2018@gmail.com by November 1st, 2017.
The FCHS depends on membership dues. All conference participants must be or become members at the time of acceptance (January 2018). Unfortunately, the FCHS does not have funds to subsidize scholars’ participation at the meeting. Graduate students, however, may apply for the Shorrock Travel Award; details are provided on the FCHS website (the application must be sent with the proposal).
Additional information about the Society’s scholarly activities, fellowships, and past conferences is available at www.frenchcolonial.org. If you have any questions about membership, please contact Spencer Segalla at the following address: treasurer@frenchcolonial.org.
For more information, see En savoir plus: http://frenchcolonial.org/index.php/locationsprograms/upcoming-meeting/call-for-papers.
***
Appel à Communications
Le 44e congrès annuel de la Société d’histoire coloniale française (SHCF) se tiendra à Seattle, Washington aux Etats-Unis, du 31 mai au 2 juin 2018 chez l’Hôtel Sorrento. Cet hôtel boutique se situe vingt minutes à pied du centre-ville. Cette conférence s’organisera par Seattle Université, l’Université de Washington, Washington State Université, et Western Washington Université.
Le thème de ce congrès portera sur « l’indigénéité », ce qui permettra de considérer les thèmes liés aux concepts comme l’indigénéité, le nativisme, l’identité, les origines ethniques, et la nationalité aux contextes impérials français et les endroits postcolonials. Les propositions de communication sur d’autres aspects de l’histoire coloniale française seront prises en considération.
La Société encourage les enseignants, chercheurs et étudiants de toutes disciplines at tous niveaux de carrière à soumettre des propositions de communication. Les communications peuvent se délivrer soit en anglais soit en français.
Les propositions individuelles doivent comprendre un titre de la communication, nom d’intervenant/e, institution de rattachement, coordonnées (e-mail, téléphone), un résumé de 200 mots et un bref curriculum vitae (un à deux pages) dans un seul document, de préférence en MS-Word.
Les propositions de sessions complètes ou de tables-rondes doivent contenir ces éléments pour chacun des participants, de même que pour le président/modérateur (le comité scientifique peut aussi aider dans la recherche d’un président/modérateur).
Merci d’indiquer si vous avez besoin d’équipements audiovisuels.
Les personnes souhaitant présider une séance sont priées d’envoyer une déclaration d’intérêt, leurs coordonnées ainsi qu’un bref CV.
Les propositions pour des sessions complètes ou communications individuelles doivent être envoyées par email à frenchcolonial2018@gmail.com avant le 1er novembre 2017.
La SHFC est une association indépendante, sans autre source de financement que les cotisations de ses adhérents. L’adhésion à l’association est obligatoire pour participer au congrès. L’adhésion doit donc être effective pour tous les participants au moment de l’acceptation de leur proposition (janvier 2018). Malheureusement la Société française d’histoire coloniale n’offre de pas de financement pour participer au congrès. Les doctorants peuvent cependant concourir au prix Shorrock. Les modalités sont indiquées sur le site de la FCHS (la demande doit être faite au moment de l’envoi de la proposition de communication).
Des informations complémentaires sur les activités de la Société d’histoire coloniale française, les bourses, et les précédentes conférences sont disponibles à l’adresse:www.frenchcolonial.org.
Pour toute question concernant l’adhésion à la Société, merci de contacter Spencer Segalla à treasurer@frenchcolonial.org.
En savoir plus: http://frenchcolonial.org/index.php/locationsprograms/upcoming-meeting/call-for-papers.
- Job Opportunities
2.1 Assistant Professor, France since 1763
Oklahoma State University, History Department
Institution Type: College/University
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Position: Assistant Professor
Closing date: 15 October 2017
France since 1763. Tenure-track assistant professor beginning August 2018. Area of specialization is open, but strength in the history of religion is highly desirable. Applicants must demonstrate an ability to teach modern European courses currently offered by the department. Ph.D. required at time of employment.
Teaching responsibilities include lower-division surveys, upper-division courses, and graduate seminars. The teaching load is 2/2. Conference travel funding and research support are available. Preference will be given to candidates with teaching experience and publications.
Candidates will be expected to support the learning needs of students from diverse backgrounds; integrate multicultural experiences into instructional methods; and demonstrate a commitment to engaging communities underrepresented in the academy.
Submit cover letter, CV, transcripts, and three letters of recommendation via Interfolio at http://apply.interfolio.com/43853. To receive full consideration, complete applications should be received by October 15, 2017. Salary competitive. The filling of this position is contingent upon availability of funding.
Oklahoma State University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/E-verify employer committed to diversity and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against based on age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or other protected category.
Contact: Susan Oliver, Administrative Assistant, OSU History Department 405-744-5680 susan.oliver@okstate.edu
Website: http://history.okstate.edu.
2.2 Assistant or Associate Professor of French and Francophone Studies
The Department of French and Francophone Studies at The Pennsylvania State University invites applications for a tenure-track position at the rank of assistant or associate professor, beginning Fall 2018. We are seeking candidates with a strong record of research and teaching experience in 20th-/21st-century culture and society. We are a vibrant department with interdisciplinary strengths in francophone studies; cultural history; and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. Besides a specialty in 20th-/21st-century culture and society, the ideal candidate would have an interest and experience in one or more of our three areas of strength and/or in migration studies, material culture, or the digital humanities. Start date is August 2018 and the teaching load is two courses per semester. Applicants must have a Ph.D., native or near-native fluency in both French and English, an active research agenda, and a record of successful teaching at multiple levels. To apply, please submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, writing sample (no more than thirty pages) and contact information for three references. Applications received by November 1, 2017, will be considered for MLA interviews; those arriving later will be accepted until the position is filled. Apply online at https://psu.jobs/job/74179.
Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.
- Announcements
3.1 Voyages, représentations et conscientisation
vendredi 22 décembre 2017
Faculté des Lettres et des Sciences humaines, Meknès, Maroc
Inscrit dans une démarche initiatique, avec l’objectif d’apporter la connaissance d’un savoir en risque de déperdition, ou engagé avec des motifs de conscientisation, le voyage est dans tous les cas motivé par des urgences. Il est pour cela acte conditionné par les curiosités du siècle, les priorités du moment. Il vise les grandes questions de l’actualité en vue de les pourvoir de réponses. Une brève rétrospective dans l’histoire du genre est amenée à rendre ce constat. Au seuil du Moyen Âge déjà, la conception finie et fermée de l’univers, aux allures dantesques, enrichit l’intellection par l’immixtion de présences fabuleuses et fantasques. La tonalité émerveillée, l’emphase même, font partie de la pensée. Elles sont adoptées en exercice de style, pour finalement « styliser » les contenus absents, donner forme et présence à un avorton de savoir, à une connaissance en cours d’engendrement. Le devisement du monde de Marco Polo (1299) est à ce titre édificateur. Au fil des siècles, les formes de voyages changent sans que le principe d’implication dans les questions du moment ne soit modifié. À l’orée de la Renaissance, l’avènement des conquêtes est à l’image de ces manœuvres collectives, capables de réaliser des vœux d’envahisseurs ; posséder ce que l’on n’a pas, de l’or, un territoire, une connaissance, un sentiment…
Aujourd’hui, la peine du voyageur ne peut être gratuite, surtout lorsque sa quête est marquée par le souci de s’accorder avec les impératifs de l’évolution du siècle.
Le propos de cette journée est d’étudier les voyages en rapport avec l’esprit du temps. Dans la perspective d’un engagement pour les urgences individuelles, psychologiques, chronologiques, climatiques et bien d’autres, seront traités des sujets en rapport avec les potentialités de conscientisation des voyages. Les axes présentés sont à titre indicatif. D’autres suggestions thématiques sont bien sollicitées :
- Le récit de voyage comme médiateur pour un avenir meilleur
- Les voyages de solidarité
- Les voyages écologiques
- Les formes modernes de voyages
- Voyages et urgences environnementales
- La conquête de l’espace
- La question de l’autre
- Voyage et cinéma
- Voyage et éthique
- Voyage et violence
Responsable :
Samira Etouil, Université Moulay Ismail, Meknès.
Mohamed Lehdahda, Université Moulay Ismail, Meknès.
Comité d’organisation :
- Membres du G.R.A.L., laboratoire de recherche en Culture, Genre et Littérature (LaRCGL), de l’Université Moulay Ismail : Samira Etouil, Mohamed Lehdahda, Abdellah Stitou et Karima Ziamari
- Ridha Boulaäbi, Université Stendhal Grenoble 3, France
- Claude Coste, Université Cergy Pontoise, France.
Les travaux de cette journée d’étude vont être publiés en 2018. Les participants sont priés de remettre à la coordinatrice une copie finalisée de leur communication avant la tenue de la journée d’étude qui se déroulera le vendredi 22 décembre 2017 à la Faculté des Lettres et des Sciences humaines, Meknès
Pour le comité d’organisation : Samira Etouil etouilsamira@yahoo.fr
- New Titles
4.1 With a Weapon and a Grin: Postcard Images of France’s Black African Colonial Troops in WWI (Schiffer Publishing, 2017)
By Stephan Likosky
In incorporating Black African soldiers on the European battleground in their war against the Germans in WWI, France needed to change the image of the African from that of savage to a loyal and courageous soldier, a non-threat to French citizenry. What emerged was the Grand Enfant, a child-like figure with a winning grin who nonetheless could be ruthless in pursuit of the Hun. Meanwhile, German propaganda persisted in portraying the African as a cannibal, being unjustly deployed by France against the civilized European. Postcards of the era were an important means of disseminating these images and demonstrate how the African soldier’s image was manipulated to serve the changing needs of the European belligerents. The book contains over 150 stunning images from this propaganda war and places them in historical context. It is a pioneering study in English of a long-neglected aspect of the First World War.
For more information, see http://www.schifferbooks.com/with-a-weapon-and-a-grin-postcard-images-of-frances-black-african-colonial-troops-in-wwi-6133.html.
4.2 Théâtre dialectique postcolonial: Aimé Césaire et Derek Walcott (Garnier, 2017)
By Jason Allen-Paisant
Cette étude aborde le théâtre de Derek Walcott et d’Aimé Césaire à travers le prisme de la Relation (théorie d’Édouard Glissant), convoquant, par ailleurs, la dialectique hégélienne et la théorie dramatique de Bertolt Brecht pour fournir des perspectives nouvelles sur les esthétiques des auteurs.
4.3 Europe on the Move: Refugees in the Era of the Great War (Manchester University Press, 2017)
Edited by Peter Gatrell and Liubov Zhvanko
Mass population displacement affected millions of Europe’s civilians across the different theatres of war in 1914-18. At the end of the war, a senior Red Cross official wrote ‘there were refugees everywhere. It was as if the entire world had to move or was waiting to move’. Europe on the move: refugees in the era of the Great War, 1912-23 is the first attempt to understand their experiences as a whole and to establish the political, social and cultural significance and ramifications of the wartime refugee crisis. Drawing on original research by leading specialists from more than a dozen countries, it will become the definitive work on the subject and will appeal to anyone who wishes to understand how governments and public opinion responded to refugees a century ago.
For more information, see http://www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781784994419/.
4.4 Madeleine’s Children: Family, Freedom, Secrets, and Lies in France’s Indian Ocean Colonies (Oxford University Press, 2017)
By Sue Peabody
- A rare narrative in world history of an enslaved person challenging his status in court and winning his freedom.
- The first full length biography tracing slavery in the Indian Ocean world.
- Detailed family saga of love, betrayal, hope, and struggle set against the broader context of plantation slavery, Parisian society, and colonization.
For more information, see https://global.oup.com/academic/product/madeleines-children-9780190233884?cc=gb&lang=en&.
4.5 Futures of Black Radicalism (Verso Books, 2017)
Edited by Gaye Theresa Johnson and Alex Lubin
Black rebellion has returned. Dramatic protests have risen up in scores of cities and campuses; there is renewed engagement with the history of Black radical movements and thought. Here, key intellectuals—inspired by the new movements and by the seminal work of the scholar Cedric J. Robinson—recall the powerful tradition of Black radicalism while defining new directions for the activists and thinkers it inspires.
In a time when activists in Ferguson, Palestine, Baltimore, and Hong Kong immediately connect across vast distances, this book makes clear that new Black radical politics is thoroughly internationalist and redraws the links between Black resistance and anti-capitalism. Featuring the key voices in this new intellectual wave, this collection outlines one of the most vibrant areas of thought today.
With contributions from Greg Burris, Jordan T. Camp, Angela Davis, Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Avery F. Gordon, Stefano Harney, Christina Heatherton, Robin D.G. Kelley, George Lipsitz, Fred Moten, Paul Ortiz, Steven Osuna, Kwame M. Phillips, Shana L. Redmond, Cedric J. Robinson, Elizabeth P. Robinson, Nikhil Pal Singh, Damien M. Sojoyner, Darryl C. Thomas, and Françoise Vergès.
For more information, see https://www.versobooks.com/books/2438-futures-of-black-radicalism.
4.6 Death, Image, Memory: The Genocide in Rwanda and its Aftermath in Photography and Documentary Film (Palgrave, 2017)
By Piotr Cieplak
This book explores how photography and documentary film have participated in the representation of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and its aftermath. This in-depth analysis of professional and amateur photography and the work of Rwandan and international filmmakers offers an insight into not only the unique ability of images to engage with death, memory and the need for evidence, but also their helplessness and inadequacy when confronted with the enormity of the event.
Focusing on a range of films and photographs, the book tests notions of truth, evidence, record and witnessing – so often associated with documentary practice – in the specific context of Rwanda and the wider representational framework of African conflict and suffering. Death, Image, Memory is an inquiry into the multiple memorial and evidentiary functions of images that transcends the usual investigations into whether photography and documentary film can reliably attest to the occurrence and truth of an event.
For more information, see http://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9781137579874.
4.7 The Politics of Secularism, Religion, Diversity, and Institutional Change in France and Turkey (Columbia University Press, 2017)
By Murat Akan
Discussions of modernity—or alternative and multiple modernities—often hinge on the question of secularism, especially how it travels outside its original European context. Too often, attempts to answer this question either imagine a universal model derived from the history of Western Europe, which neglects the experience of much of the world, or emphasize a local, non-European context that limits the potential for comparison. In The Politics of Secularism, Murat Akan reframes the question of secularism, exploring its presence both outside and inside Europe and offering a rich empirical account of how it moves across borders and through time.
Akan uses France and Turkey to analyze political actors’ comparative discussions of secularism, struggles for power, and historical contextual constraints at potential moments of institutional change. France and Turkey are critical sites of secularism: France exemplifies European political modernity, and Turkey has long been the model of secularism in a Muslim-majority country. Akan analyzes prominent debates in both countries on topics such as the visibility of the headscarf and other religious symbols, religion courses in the public school curriculum, and state salaries for clerics and imams. Akan lays out the institutional struggles between three distinct political currents—anti-clericalism, liberalism, and what he terms state-civil religionism—detailing the nuances of how political movements articulate the boundary between the secular and the religious. Disputing the prevalent idea that diversity is a new challenge to secularism and focusing on comparison itself as part of the politics of secularism, this book makes a major contribution to understanding secular politics and its limits.
For more information, see https://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-politics-of-secularism/9780231181808.
4.8 Contesting French West Africa: Battles over Schools and the Colonial Order, 1900-1950 (University of Nebraska Press, 2017)
By Harry Gamble
After the turn of the twentieth century, schools played a pivotal role in the construction of French West Africa. But as this dynamic, deeply researched study reveals, the expanding school system also became the site of escalating conflicts. As French authorities worked to develop truncated schools for colonial “subjects,” many African students and young elites framed educational projects of their own. Weaving together a complex narrative and rich variety of voices, Harry Gamble explores the high stakes of colonial education.
With the disruptions of World War II, contests soon took on new configurations. Seeking to forestall postwar challenges to colonial rule, French authorities showed a new willingness to envision broad reforms, in education as in other areas. Exploiting the new context of the Fourth Republic and the extension of citizenship, African politicians demanded an end to separate and inferior schools. Contesting French West Africa critically examines the move toward educational integration that took shape during the immediate postwar period. Growing linkages to the metropolitan school system ultimately had powerful impacts on the course of decolonization and the making of postcolonial Africa.
For more information, see: http://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9780803295490.
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