At the Limits of Memory: Legacies of Slavery in the Francophone World

This collection examines the Francophone world's memories of slavery and the slave trade, focusing on contemporary commemorative practices and their relationship to other forms of exploitation. It is set against the context of France's growing memory legislation and its cultural and political connections to its former empire. Contributors retrace and redraw the narrative map of slavery and its legacies from different perspectives.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 02 February 2021
Publisher: Liverpool University Press

The study of slavery in the Anglophone world has recently gained significant attention in the academic realm, while the Francophone perspective has remained relatively underrepresented. This collection aims to address this gap by specifically focusing on the Francophone world, contributing to the ongoing research on slavery and memory studies. The contributions of esteemed scholars from France, Britain, the United States, and Canada are featured in the volume, offering insights into contemporary commemorative practices related to the history of slavery and the slave trade. It explores the ways in which these practices interact with other less memorialized histories of exploitation, such as indentured and forced labor.

The collection is situated within the context of France's expanding body of memory legislation and its close cultural and political ties to its former empire. This positioning makes France an influential player in how slavery is memorialized and conceptualized in the public sphere. The contributors retrace and reimagine the narrative map of slavery and its legacies in the Francophone world by comparing and contrasting how these different forms of labor exploitation have been remembered and/or forgotten from European, West African, Indian Ocean, and Caribbean perspectives.

Through this comparative approach, the collection sheds light on the complex and multifaceted ways in which slavery has been experienced, remembered, and commemorated in the Francophone world. It highlights the need for a more inclusive and interdisciplinary understanding of these historical narratives, as well as the importance of recognizing the diverse perspectives and experiences of those affected by slavery. By contributing to the growing body of literature on slavery and memory in the Francophone world, this collection aims to foster greater awareness and understanding of this important historical and contemporary issue.

Weight: 414g
Dimension: 232 x 154 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781800349001