Afro-Germans, multidirectional memory and French colonial aphasia: The legacy of the First World War in Galadio by Didier Daeninckx

This article offers an analysis of mnemonic traces in Galadio, Didier Daeninckx’s 2010 novel. I demonstrate that by fictionalizing the history of the persecution of Afro-Germans under National Socialism, the novel exposes antiblackness as a neglected phenomenon of the Third Reich. Synchronously, applying Michael Rothberg’s theoretical framework, the article discusses the dialogue between Jewish and Afro-German legacies of violence in the novel, as well as the intricate relation between colony, camp and what Paul Gilroy defines as camp mentality. Furthermore, I argue that Daeninckx engages with French colonial aphasia: in my interpretation, his oblique approach to the French imperial past conveys its simultaneous presence and absence, which is key to disabled memory. Finally, I focus on the ethics of commemoration in Galadio, which claims space for black soldiers in French collective memory of the two world wars, yet at the same time challenges imperial loyalties and homogeneous approaches to French national identity.

The representation of colonials and natives in French colonial cinema from 1918 to 1945

In spite of having an empire that was second only to Britain's by 1914, the French people remained mostly unconvinced by and mistrustful of the colonial idea. There is no better proof of this than the French colonial films between 1918 and 1945 which depicted the empire in a particularly unattractive way while seemingly advocating the colonial cause. The paradox is all the more surprising given that the negative image that emerges from the films made in France around the colonial theme was not the manifestation of an anti-colonialism subtly disguised to avoid governmental censorship, but the mere expression of the general feeling of the French about their colonies. The lack of Gallic enthusiasm for the empire translated on screen into an intrinsic mistrust for what was regarded as the epitome of danger and despair.

Cultural Landscapes Preservation at the Interface of Urban Planning and Sprawl

From ancient times, the sea has played a key role in shaping and generating settlements and cities. The history of civilizations has been marked by the cultural development of human societies along coastlines. Accordingly, these territories are harbor of an important coastal heritage; that plays a pivotal role in maintaining the link between the past and the future. In fact, while cities grow and their populations increase, their planning becomes a challenge for sustainable development. Through different forms and mechanisms, coastal sprawl is materialized, by the massive occupation of populations and industrial activities along coastlines. In this vein, coastlines endure many conflicts, which lead to the degradation of cultural and natural resources and may result in loss of cultural identity associated with the presence of cultural landscapes. The paper aims, to discuss planning approaches and challenges related to managing cultural and coastal landscapes, facing the impact of coastal sprawl. The paper is based on a landscape analysis; it interviews the urban, social, juridical and morphological frame. An understanding of urban sprawl through the lens of Annaba’s coastline is required for its implication as a social support of the identity and the history of the city. The paper also examines how the coastalization affects the cultural heritage based on the monograph of one of the valuable French colonial constructions in Algeria. Lastly, the study demonstrates, some key opportunities for advancing future adjustments, and coastal management approaches. For instance, new tools and more appropriate methodologies that combine the preservation of the coastline and the preservation of the cultural heritage.

Portraits de boxeurs noirs dans des magazines africains illustrés

FR. Cet article propose une analyse transversale de portraits de boxeurs noirs publiés dans des magazines africains de langue française entre 1953 et 1975. En suivant les représentations discursives et visuelles données de ce type de sportif dans deux périodiques illustrés diffusés en Afrique, Bingo (1953-1991) et La Vie africaine (1959-1965), comparées à celles qu’en a proposées au même moment Paris Match, il cherche à montrer, dans une perspective foucaldienne, comment ces dernières sont traversées par des dynamiques de pouvoir plus générales articulant des rapports sociaux de sexe, de race et de classe dans un contexte d’effritement de l’empire colonial français. Examinant les formes et la plasticité des textes et des images mettant en scène des boxeurs américains et africains d’un magazine à l’autre, l’article défend l’hypothèse d’une spécificité et d’une intensité du portrait de boxeur dans ce segment de la presse autour de 1960, avec ses topoï et ses référentiels. Après avoir décrit cet espace de publication périodique diversifié et concurrentiel, il propose une typologie des articles sur la boxe dans lesquels on retrouve, en dépit de leur variété et de leur mélange, des traits réguliers propres au portrait, forme de métagenre situé entre et au-delà des genres journalistiques usuels. La mise en scène médiatique des biographies de ces athlètes subalternisés, débordant la rubrique sportive, permet de donner un sens à des luttes tant pugilistiques que sociopolitiques, dans un contexte d’autonomisation du champ sportif français. Quoiqu’apparaissant comme des symboles de résistance, leurs corps y sont traversés par des dominations de race (sous la plume de bien des journalistes français, le Noir reste l’autre), de genre (quoique ne validant pas toutes les normes de masculinité hégémonique, ces portraits ne bousculent pas l’ordre genré), et de classe (les parcours de ces sportifs issus de milieux sociaux plutôt favorisés n’excluent pas des mécanismes (néo)coloniaux donnent la part belle à leurs entourages blancs). *** EN. This article offers a cross-sectional analysis of portraits of black boxers in African magazines written in French and published between 1953 and 1975. The analysis is based on the study of the discursive and visual representations of the figure of the athlete in two illustrated periodicals distributed in Africa, Bingo (1953-1991) and La Vie africaine (1959-1965). By comparing them with those offered by French magazine Paris Match on the same period of time, the article seeks to demonstrate, from a Foucauldian perspective, how the latter are imbued by more generic power dynamics articulating social relations of gender, race and class, in the context of a crumbling French colonial empire. Examining the forms and the plasticity of texts and images featuring American and African boxers in each magazine, this research argues that portraits of boxers in this segment of the press in the 1960’s formed a specific genre, with its own characteristics, levels of intensity, specific topoi and references. After describing the diverse and competitive market of periodical publishing, we suggest a typology of articles on boxing, which identifies, despite their variety, common strokes specific to the portrait genre. Thus, it constitutes a form of metagenre situated between and beyond the standard journalistic genres. The staging in the media of the lives of these objectified athletes goes beyond the sports section, and heightens both pugilistic and socio-political struggles in the context of the growing importance of the French sports scene internationally. Though appearing as symbols of resistance, their bodies bear the marks of subjection through race (under the pen of many French journalists, the Black man remains “the other”), gender (although not validating all the norms of hegemonic masculinity, these portraits do not challenge the gender order), and class (the fact that most athletes are from well-off families does not exclude the (neo)colonial mechanism which consists in giving more attention than required to their white entourage). *** PT. Este artigo oferece uma análise transversal de retratos de boxeadores negros publicados em revistas africanas de língua francesa entre 1953 e 1975. Seguindo as representações discursivas e visuais desse tipo de atleta em dois periódicos ilustrados distribuídos na África, Bingo (1953-1991) ) e La Vie africaine (1959-1965), em comparação com as propostas ao mesmo tempo por Paris Match, o trabalho procura mostrar, a partir de uma perspectiva foucaultiana, como estas últimas são atravessadas por dinâmicas de poder mais gerais que articulam as relações gênero, raça e classe em um contexto de desmoronamento do império colonial francês. Examinando as formas e a plasticidade de textos e imagens de boxeadores estadunidenses e africanos de uma revista para outra, o artigo defende a hipótese de uma especificidade e de uma intensidade do retrato de um boxeador neste segmento da imprensa por volta de 1960, com seus topoï e suas referências. Depois de ter descrito este espaço diversificado e competitivo de publicação de periódicos, propõe uma tipologia de artigos sobre boxe em que encontramos, apesar da sua variedade e da sua mistura, traços regulares próprios do retrato, uma forma de metagênero situada entre e para além de gêneros jornalísticos habituais. A encenação midiática das biografias desses atletas subalternos, extrapolando a seção de esportes, permite dar sentido às lutas pugilísticas e sociopolíticas, em um contexto de empoderamento do campo esportivo francês. Embora apareçam como símbolos de resistência, seus corpos são atravessados pela dominação racial (para muitos jornalistas franceses, o negro continua sendo o outro), gênero (embora não validem todas as normas da masculinidade hegemônica, esses retratos não perturbam a ordem de gênero), e de classe (os percursos desses atletas de origens sociais bastante privilegiadas não excluem os mecanismos (neo) coloniais que dão lugar de destaque às suas comitivas brancas). ***

Un processus postcolonial : la genèse de la domination kényane dans les courses de fond vue par la presse sportive spécialisée française

FR. Les médias se font régulièrement l’échos des exploits, sinon des dérives, des athlètes kényan·e·s qui dominent les épreuves de course de fond les plus prestigieuses à travers le monde. Désormais coutumière de cette hégémonie, la presse sportive française commence à l’interroger dès les années 1960, tandis que l’athlétisme est-africain s’affirme au plus haut niveau international, manifestant sa volonté de comprendre et d’expliquer le « phénomène kényan ». L’objet de cet article est de montrer que l’éclosion au plus haut niveau international de l’athlétisme kényan dans la période post-coloniale est appréhendée par les journalistes français selon une rhétorique s’insérant dans un processus postcolonial. S’inscrivant dans le champ des postcolonial studies, cette étude vise à identifier et expliquer les transformations des modalités discursives selon lesquelles les journalistes français couvrent les succès kényans. Bien que le Kenya soit une ancienne colonie britannique, les textes étudiés reflétent la domination culturelle caractéristique de la période coloniale que les journalistes opposent à la domination sportive des athlètes kényan·e·s. Trois revues spécialisées dans l’athlétisme paraissant dans les années 1960, choisies tant par leur réputation que par l’éclectisme de leurs lignes éditoriales, sont analysées : l’Athlétisme, organe de presse officiel de la Fédération française d’athlétisme, Le Miroir de l’athlétisme, revue déclinée du journal Miroir sprint, proche du parti communiste français, et l’Équipe athlétisme magazine, associée au journal l’Équipe. Portant sur l’ensemble du discours, tant son contenu que ses stratégies énonciatives, l’analyse effectuée met en avant le recours par les journalistes français aux modèles rhétoriques utilisés par leurs homologues britanniques à la fin de la période coloniale. Identifiés par John Bale, ces modèles rhétoriques (la surveillance, l’appropriation, la négation et l’idéalisation) s’affirment progressivement à travers quatre étapes chronologiques de 1960 à 2000. La France n’ayant jamais colonisé le Kenya, cette démarche propose donc d’élargir la question postcoloniale aux interactions culturelles entre des pays dépourvus de liens coloniaux. *** EN. Media regularly report on the high performances, as well as the missteps, of Kenyan athletes occupying top places in the most prestigious international long-distance running competitions. If the French sports press has become accustomed to this podium hegemony, a desire to understand and explain the “Kenyan phenomenon” arose in the 1960’s, when East African athletics was gradually asserting itself at the highest levels of competition. The article aims to demonstrate that the narrative developed by French journalists on Kenyan athletics in the decades following African independences is part of rhetorical processes intertwined with postcolonial mechanisms. Embedded in the field of postcolonial studies, the research aims to identify and explain the evolution of discursive modalities used by French journalists to cover Kenyan sporting successes. Despite Kenya being a former British colony, specific characteristics appear in the analyzed text corpus and highlight how French journalists perpetuate cultural domination mechanisms, which sit in contrast with the sporting preeminence of Kenyan athletes. Three magazines published in the 1960s and specialized in the field of athletics were selected for the research, based on their reputation and the eclecticism of their editorial lines: L'Athlétisme, published by the French Athletics Federation ; Le Miroir de l'athlétisme, a magazine based on the Miroir sprint, known to be close to the French Communist Party ; and l'Équipe athlétisme magazine, a spin-off edition from the newspaper l'Équipe. The analysis of the discourse, from both content and enunciative strategies perspectives, highlights how French journalists resort to rhetorical models used by their British counterparts during the same period. Identified by John Bale, the models include surveillance, appropriation, negation and idealization, and appear chronologically in the press in four stages, from 1960 to 2000. Since Kenya was never under French colonial rule, the article suggests to broaden the postcolonial discussion to cultural interactions between countries without colonial ties. *** PT. Os meios de comunicação informam regularmente sobre as façanhas, senão os desvios, dos atletas quenianos que dominam os eventos de corrida de longa distância de maior prestígio em todo o mundo. Já habituada a esta hegemonia, a imprensa desportiva francesa passou a questioná-la nos anos 1960, enquanto o atletismo da África Oriental se afirmava ao mais alto nível internacional, demonstrando o seu desejo de compreender e explicar o “fenômeno queniano”. O objetivo deste artigo é mostrar que a emergência do atletismo queniano no mais alto nível internacional no período pós-colonial é entendida pelos jornalistas franceses como uma parte retórica de um processo pós-colonial. Inserido no campo dos estudos pós-coloniais, este estudo visa identificar e explicar as transformações das modalidades discursivas segundo as quais os jornalistas franceses cobrem os sucessos quenianos. Embora o Quênia seja uma ex-colônia britânica, os textos estudados refletem a dominação cultural característica do período colonial que os jornalistas opõem à dominação esportiva dos atletas quenianos. Três revistas especializadas em atletismo surgidas na década de 1960, escolhidas tanto por sua reputação quanto pelo ecletismo de suas linhas editoriais, são analisadas: Athletics, órgão oficial de imprensa da Federação Francesa de Atletismo, Le Miroir de athletics, resenha da revista Miroir sprint, próxima ao Partido Comunista Francês, e a revista de atletismo Équipe, associada ao jornal L'Équipe. Abrangendo todo o discurso, tanto o seu conteúdo como as suas estratégias enunciativas, a análise realizada destaca a utilização pelos jornalistas franceses dos modelos retóricos utilizados pelos seus congêneres britânicos no final do período colonial. Identificados por John Bale, esses modelos retóricos (vigilância, apropriação, negação e idealização) afirmam-se gradativamente por meio de quatro estágios cronológicos de 1960 a 2000. Como a França nunca colonizou o Quênia, esta abordagem propõe, portanto, estender a questão pós-colonial às interações culturais entre países desprovidos de laços coloniais. ***

Modernization as a Transition from a “Traditional” to a Postmodern Society

The purpose of the article is to explore the gender aspect of the modernization of Tunisian society from modernism to postmodernism, which defined the cultural concept of the twentieth century. The article conducts a comprehensive study of gender aspects of the modernization of Tunisian society since the beginning of this modernization in 1900 of the XX century. to the beginning of the XXI century; for the first time the periodization of the women's movement in Tunisia in the period of modern history is presented and substantiated; analyzed the history of the impact of political and legal reforms of the Tunisian government on changing the gender situation in society; reflects the specifics of gender ideas and practices of Tunisian society in historical retrospect. The degree of influence of the French colonial regime on the modernization of Tunisian society in a gender context is determined; an analysis of the specifics of gender relations in Islamic society. It is proved that Islamic democracy was presented as a guarantor of the real emancipation of women, provided that she retains the primary status of wife and mother. This principle, due to the socio-cultural traditions of Tunisian society, was in fact basic in gender perceptions and for this period. Biographies of the leaders of the Tunisian movement show that their social self-realization was usually directly ensured by the status of the wife of a politician.

The maintenance of law and order in the china–vietnam borderlands during the french colonial period (1896–1940)

The item about border between China and Vietnam is not just a contemporary issue. Its building and its story takes its roots in the past and the colonial period played a major role. This article aims to analyse how the French colonial administration tried to keep order on the Tonkin border. First, the structure of the maintenance of law and order along the border is analysed to better understand how these diverse borderlands areas with a harsh climate and a multi-ethnic population resulted in many issues, giving birth to the challenges of law and order on border. Then, dynamics of cross border criminal activities are studied. The authority of these isolated French colonial troops in the borderlands is usually fragile. In front of this situation, the author will question the colonial administrations response against the threat of cross border criminality. Military actions and police operations are mixed and order and law is kept thanks to an auxiliary force made up of local populations, the partisans, that is the real backbone to maintain law and order in the borderlands.

Creating a “Micro-colony” within a protectorate: the example of the french Concession of Tourane (Đà Nẵng), 1884–1889

Although history ultimately favored the portuary development of SàiGòn and HảiPhòng, it was Tourane (ĐNẵng) that was the initial target of French colonial ambitions in the Indochinese peninsula. For over a century (17401858), its bay and territory had been the scene and the epicenter of Franco-British overseas imperial rivalries, a fact which actively fostered an entire set of colonial images about the site, which was quite often referred to as potential base to serve the interests of commerce and the Navy. Despite these ambitions nurtured over a long period, it was only after the conquest of Tonkin, thirty years after the Cochinchina expedition, that its territory was finally established as a concession: on 3 October 1888, the French were finally seizing juridical control of Tourane. As a conceded territory, Tourane was essential to French colonial and imperial designs. The focal point of political and economic ambitions, it was both a gateway and a means to prepare and support the French colonial project in Indochina. A hybrid and previously unknown template, the conceded territory model designed for, and from, Tourane indeed allowed the French to implement new strategies to tighten colonial rule in Indochina. Offering an unprecedented analysis on the creation of the French concession of Tourane at the end of the 19th century, this research examines the political context during which it was conceived, the work and conclusions given by the commission in charge of studying its borders and jurisdiction, and the steps taken by the colonial administration in order to seize definitive control of a strategic territory inside what was then left of the Đại Nam Kingdom. All in all, comparing Tourane with others treaty ports, it shows how and why its territory stood out as a micro-colony in a protectorate territory (Annam-Tonkin).

Republican Citizenship in French Colonial Pondicherry, 1870-1914

This work of historical sociology revisits and analyses the earlier part of the Third Republic (1870-1914), when France granted citizenship rights to Indians in Pondicherry. It explores the nature of this colonial citizenship and enables comparisons with British India, especially the Madras Presidency, as well as the rest of the French empire, as a means of demonstrating how unique the practice of granting such rights was. The difficulties of implementing a new political culture based on the language of rights and participatory political institutions were not so much rooted in a lack of assimilation into the French culture on the part of the Indian population; rather, they were the result of political infighting and long-term conflicts over status, both in relation to caste and class, and between inclusive and exclusive visions of French citizenship.

Archaeology and Cultural Policy in Ottoman Tunisia Part II: Muhammad Khaznadar (1871–99)

This article is the second part of a study focusing on Muhammad Khaznadar’s role in the history of archaeology in nineteenth-century Tunisia. Whereas part I traced the meteoric rise of Muhammad Khaznadar as a Tunisian cultural figure, the second part of this inquiry examines Khaznadar’s fall from power and the end of his monopoly over the country’s antiquities. Following the dismissal of his father, Mustafa Khaznadar, as grand vizier in 1873, Muhammad’s artifacts were seized by the bey. The Khaznadar collection then attracted the attention of the new grand vizier, Khayr al-Din (1873–78). Influenced by the activities of Muhammad Khaznadar, Khayr al-Din sought to create a national museum of antiquities. However, this project came to an end with Khayr al-Din’s dismissal and the subsequent arrival of French colonizers, who established the Bardo Museum (then called the Alaoui Museum) in 1888. The historical narrative written by the French colonial authority erased the memory of prominent Tunisian archaeologists and collectors who had been active in the preceding decades. This article seeks to highlight the important contributions of local Tunisians to the development of archaeological research and policies surrounding Tunisian cultural heritage in the nineteenth century.