FRN 428 - Globalization & the Legacy of Empire in the Francophone World

Course unit(s): 1
Meets GAR: Meets general academic requirements HU and W.
Prerequisite(s): FRN 301 Communication & Cultural Understanding and FRN 304, 306 Approaches to Textual Analysis
In this course, we will study the rise, fall, and legacy of the French Empire from the middle of the nineteenth century through the decolonization era to the postcolonial financial, political, and cultural institutions that govern France’s relationship with francophone countries in today’s globalized world. Through the study of historical, anthropological, sociological, and literary texts, film, music, and the arts, we will explore the following themes: the economic and political pressures that made the imperial project viable in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; the rise of anti-Semitism in France and its relevance to larger debates on Empire and race; the military, social, and cultural role French colonies played in both World Wars; post-World War II independence movements within the context of the Cold War; and finally, the specific challenges with which the processes of globalization have presented different areas of the francophone world in the last thirty years (debt, civil war, migrations, women’s rights issues, etc.). Taught in French.