Africa and France

Dominic Thomas is Professor of Comparative Literature and French and Francophone Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is author of Nation-Building, Propaganda, and Literature in Francophone Africa (IUP, 2002) and Black France: Colonialism, Immigration, and Transnationalism (IUP, 2007).

"A hugely impressive piece of scholarship by a leading figure in the field of French Studies who has carved out a position over the past decade as perhaps the most authoritative voice in U.S. academia on relations between France and its former sub-Saharan African colonies."—David Murphy, University of Stirling"The work's versatility and multitudinal approach that encompasses literature, film, and museum exegesis as well as ethnographical analyses of contemporary French/Francophone societies illuminate important issues of Frenchness and national identity."—Didier Gondola, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis"Overall, this is an excellent book. . . . One might regret that not much attention is paid to the African side of the postcolonial Franco-African world. But if the aim of the book was to "complicate French and European debates on identity and singularity", there is no doubt that this incisive study has brilliantly succeeded."—Journal of West African History"Africa and France constitutes essential reading for anyone investigating the debates surrounding contemporary French identity and the ever-changing relationship between France and her former colonial possessions."—African Studies Bulletin"[A]n impressive piece of scholarship . . . well written. Therefore, I strongly recommend it to university libraries, academic departments in the field of French studies, and scholars and students of African studies.Winter 2015"—Africa Today"[This book's] astonishing breadth and documentation make it a worthwhile read for anyone interested in France's colonial legacy today."—Intl Journal of African Historical Studies"Africa and France . . . is a tour de force, a thorough analysis in which Thomas examines the French empire, culture, and society as a single unit of analysis. . . . This book is a tremendous contribution and must-read for students of francophone studies, diaspora studies, and postcolonial studies."—Journal of African History"Africa and France is a noteworthy contribution to our current understanding of the impact of globalization on discussions of national identity and the construction of frameworks of social belonging.46.1 Spring 2015"—Research in African Literatures

• AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: France and the New World Order1. Museology and Globalization: The Quai Branly Museum2. Object/Subject Migration: The National Centre for the History of Immigration3. Sarkozy's Law: National Identity and the Institutionalization of Xenophobia4. Africa, France, and Eurafrica in the Twenty-First Century5. From mirage to image: Contest(ed)ing Space in Diasporic Films (1955–2011)6. The "Marie NDiaye Affair," or the Coming of a Postcolonial évoluée7. The Euro-Mediterranean: Literature and Migration8. Into the European "Jungle": Migration and Grammar in the New Europe9. Documenting the Periphery: The French banlieues in Words and Film10. Decolonizing France: National Literatures, World Literature, and World IdentitiesNotesBibliographyIndex