History [with a capital H] ends where the histories of those peoples once reputed to be without history come together. History is a highly functional fantasy of the West, originating at precisely the time when it alone "made" the history of the World.” (Edouard Glissant)
In this course, students will be introduced to this current issue: who writes History?
By studying the works of contemporary Francophone artists – poets, writers and graphic novelists, filmmakers and painters, etc. – born in Africa, the Indian Ocean, the Caribbean and Europe, we will examine not only how they tell their stories but how they create histories of and for their societies and the world, how they attempt to remake “History [with a capital H]” (as Carribean poet Glissant called it) by other means.
Their refashioning of what was formerly a hegemonic knowledge produced by “the Powerful” allows for new approaches and comprehension of their heritage and values, traditions, conflicts and commonalities. Through these artistic works, students will discover or deepen their knowledge of Africa (the Democratic Republic of Congo), southwestern Indian Ocean islands (Madagascar, Reunion, Mauritius, the Comoros) and the French Caribbean islands (Martinique, Haiti) in particular.
To develop the students’ understanding of these Francophone artists and their historiographical endeavors in their poems, novels, films, sculptures, or paintings, we shall use contemporary theories of race, gender, ecocriticism, and postcolonialism.
*In this course taught in French, you will improve your French language oral and written skills. However, if you are not a French minor, you may write and present in English.
