People of African descent have played crucial roles in the making of France as a modern republic. In this course, we will study the contributions made by people who self-identify or are identified as Black, to the shaping of French cultural and political identity. How has the Black diaspora in France impacted ideas of nation? How have Black writers, artists, and intellectuals asserted their humanity and citizenship in France? How have definitions of blackness, race, and belonging changed or remained the same throughout France’s political history? We will examine these questions through literature and film from the 18th century to our contemporary moment.