Immigration and Ethnicity in Colonial and Post-Colonial France

Module code: FR3125

Immigration as an issue remains at the heart of social, cultural and political debates in France. This module examines how issues pertaining to immigration and ethnicity have shaped French society, and explores key debates on diversity and cultural identity in contemporary France. It also considers how the country’s complex colonial and postcolonial legacy has informed important social, cultural and political developments. Key texts (films and novels) are studied as part of this module.

Topics covered

• Identity, nation and belonging
• Immigration and ethnicity in France: a historical overview
• Cinema de banlieue
• Memory, identity and representation: narrating migrants' experience through documentary
• 'Beur' literature
• L'imaginaire colonial
• Colonisation and emancipation in Algeria
• The Algerian war on film
• The colonial legacy and literature: a case study