The Black Populations of France : Histories From Metropole to Colony

The Black Populations of France is a study of Black peoples and their history in France and the French Empire during the modern era, from the eighteenth century to the present. The contributors to this collection explore three main axes. The first addresses circulations—the ways Black populations have moved through the spaces of metropolitan France and the empire—and focuses on the actors themselves and the margins of maneuver available to them, particularly as soldiers, sailors, immigrants, or political militants. The second considers legacies and the ways the past has informed the present, addressing themes such as the memory of slavery, the histories of Black women and gender, and the historical influence of African Americans on Blacks in France. The final axis considers racial policy and the ways the state has shaped racial discourses through the interactions between state policies and ideas of race developed by individuals, organizations, and communities. The Black Populations of France makes an important contribution to both modern French history and the history of the global Black diaspora. By putting these histories in dialogue with each other, it underscores the central place of France in world history. "The Black Populations of France is a study of Black peoples and their history in France and the French empire during the modern era, from the eighteenth century to the present. The contributors to this collection explore three main axes. The first addresses circulations--the ways Black populations have moved through the spaces of metropolitan France and the empire--and focuses on the actors themselves and the margins of maneuver available to them, particularly as soldiers, sailors, immigrants, and political militants. The second considers legacies and the ways the past has informed the present, addressing themes such as the memory of slavery, the histories of Black women and gender, and the historical influence of African Americans on Blacks in France. The final axis considers racial policy and the ways the state has shaped racial discourses through the interactions between state policies and ideas of race developed by individuals, organizations, and communities. The Black Populations of France makes an important contribution to both modern French history and the history of the global Black diaspora. By putting these histories in dialogue with each other, it underscores the central place of France in world history."-- Back cover Cover 1 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Contents 6 List of Illustrations 8 Introduction 12 Part 1 22 1. The Inopportune Citizenship of the Inhabitants of Sainte-Marie in Madagascar (1907–49) 24 2. Colonial Misappropriations of Trans-Saharan Legacies 40 3. Returning from France after World War II 60 Part 2 78 4. Black Families in France (Eighteenth–Nineteenth Centuries) 80 5. By Land or By Sea 101 6. “A Woman Like Any Other” 114 7. BUMIDOM 1963–82 134 Part 3 150 8. Contemporary French Caribbean Politics 152 9. Racially Imprinted Bodies 168 10. France in Noir and Black 185 11. Solidarity or Difference? 201 Conclusion 218 Contributors 228 Index 230 This edited collection considers Black peoples and their history in France and the French Empire during the modern era, from the eighteenth century to the present. __The Black Populations of France____The Black Populations of France__