FR248 Colonial Memory
| Module Code: FR248 |
|---|
| Module Name: Colonial Memory |
| Module Coordinator: Professor Pierre-Philippe Fraiture |
| Term 2 |
| Module Credits: 15 |
Module Description
Does colonialism merely belong to the past? Recent French examples show that seventy years after decolonisation the colonial past is still informing – and sometimes haunting – public (and private) debates on immigration, 鈥楩rench-ness鈥� and the very nature of republicanism. Colonialism and its aftermath are ideal terrains to understand France now, examine its relationship with other global powers, and analyse some past and present racial, ethnic but also environmental inequalities at the heart of French and francophone societies and cultures in the twenty-first century.
We will explore the relationship between imperialism and culture and will focus on a wide selection of materials ranging from colonial iconography, architecture, music, novels, popular culture, essays, documentaries and feature films.
The first part of the module will concentrate on the colonial era (1880-1960) and assess the impact of French and francophone colonial discourses and counter-discourses on works of imagination. The second part will evaluate the use of the colonial past in contemporary culture.
Core Texts
- Julien Duvivier, P茅p茅 le Moko (1937) ]
- Gauz, Cocoa茂ans. Naissance d鈥檜ne nation chocolat (, 2022)
- Kamel Daoud, Meursault, contre-enqu锚te (l, 2013)
- Ga毛l Faye, Petit Pays ( 2016)
- Sammy Baloji, L鈥橝rbre de l鈥檃uthenticit茅 (2025) [documentary]
Assessment Method:
90% - Assessed work (one essay of between 3000-3250 words in length)
10% - class participation