Blackness in French: From Harlem to Pari

FREN3822OC Blackness in French: From Harlem to Paris and Beyond. 3 points.

Instructor: Kaiama L. Glover and Maboula Soumahoro

​Taught in English.

This course is approved as a Global Core at Columbia.

What are the historical linkages between ‘Black’ France and the United States? Between African-Americans and ‘Black’ French women and men? How is this relationship different from and contingent on the relationship between the French and their post(-)colonial ‘Others?’ Taking an internationalist (specifically transatlantic) approach and considering the 20th and 21st centuries, this course explores literature, art, culture, history, and politics emerging from or grappling with ‘Black’ France. The course features guest lectures by Black French intellectuals and cultural actors, guided museum visits and walking tours, and educational dining opportunities with owners of Black French African and Afro-Caribbean restaurants, so to offer students the opportunity to encounter ‘Black’ France in a variety of contexts, and to bring them into conversations about the fact and fantasy of ‘race’ in the complex, long-historical relationship between the United States and the French Republic. "'Blackness' in French is part of a wider 'Black France Consortium cohort that will engage over the course of the five-week session in a broad range of co-curricular activities and programming.

To enroll in this course through the Columbia Summer in Paris program, you must apply to the through the Center for Undergraduate Global Engagement (UGE). Global Learning Scholarships available. Tuition charges apply.

Please note the program dates are different from the Summer Term A & B dates.