BHUM 17A15 - Comparative racial and ethnic studies: France and the United States

Based on George Fredrickson’s seminal article entitled Diverse Republics: French & American Responses to Racial Pluralism, this course aims to compare race and ethnicity in France and in the United States by exploring four main topics:

The philosophical ideals upon which both countries were founded in the late 18th century.

Colonialism, slavery and the invention of race in the context of colonialism and slavery.

Past and current immigration patterns that account for the racial and ethnic diversity of each country.

The policies aimed at promoting diversity and combating racism and discrimination in France and in the United States.

A selection of articles and book chapters written by scholars of various disciplines of the social sciences will be selected to address each of these issues. The aim of this course is to explore the differences, the similarities as well as the circulation of ideas between these two national contexts to highlight the common and specific cultural, social and political stakes.

Reading report

Comparative reading essay

In-class test