France, 2005: A postcolonial turning point

Abstract

During the early years of the twenty-first century, anxiety pertaining to the status of French national identity and grandeur reached a highpoint. Interestingly enough, this anxiety expressed itself through a focus on colonial and postcolonial history and numerous initiatives were undertaken aimed at rehabilitating French colonialism, especially in an attempt to appeal to repatriated communities from French Algeria. Arguably, the most notable revisionist measure came in the form of the ‘Loi n° 2005-158 du 23 février 2005’, which proposed including lessons in school textbooks that would highlight the positive role of French colonisation, as well as developing several museum and monument-based projects aimed at valorising the French colonial project. Diametrically opposed initiatives coincided with these, and several new racial advocacy organisations (such as the Conseil Représentatif des Associations Noires and the Indigènes de la République) were established. These organisations denounced the injustices generated by discrimination, argued that these originated in the history of slavery and of colonisation, and demanded a critical reading of colonial history and greater acceptance in French society. These diametrically opposed positions thus represent distinctive assessments of postcolonial French society and, rather than producing new openings for multiculturalism, have translated instead into even greater political and social polarisation. However, both positions reflect acute social and political dissatisfaction and a common desire to achieve recognition for historical sufferings. These transformations continue to influence the French political landscape and underscore the urgency of finding solutions to these problems that in turn will allow for peaceful coexistence.