Why We Need to Talk about Race

Abstract

French teachers need to talk about race. Teaching Francophone texts and authors is now standard material for most French programs, yet many instructors avoid or are unsure of addressing race when presenting these materials. This practice misses an opportunity to include students of color and help white students to be more cognizant of how race functions. French instructors are especially well suited to unpack race in the classroom, as Francophone materials often deal with many of the same pervasive problems present in 21st-century America, but in different countries or different times. This chapter helps French instructors talk about race by addressing the following question: When discussing la Francophonie, especially African Francophonie, how can French language teachers promote a more racially inclusive classroom environment, and how might these approaches be incorporated in a teacher’s everyday practices? Via this question, this essay addresses the themes of tokenism, racial capitalism, full participation, antiracist practices, critical mass, and colorblind racism. By examining these ideas, French instructors can gain insight into how their materials and classroom practices affect their students, their department’s reputation and the campus environment overall. The chapter is divided into three main sections. The first section, “Knowing What to Say,” briefly summarizes theories that will help instructors navigate race in the French classroom, such as antiracism and relevant tenets of Critical Race Theory. This section also defines keywords that helps instructors think about how race functions in American society. After reading this section, instructors will have the knowledge and vocabulary to reframe race in their classrooms. The second section, “Choosing Materials,” focuses on how to avoid tokenism or racial capitalism. Many universities are embracing diversity, and sometimes well-intentioned teachers or departments may use minority voices to improve their standing, yet fail to truly incorporate these authors into the course. This, unfortunately, continues to leave students of color sidelined. This section focuses on how to choose and incorporate texts from authors of color, and how to present these texts so that the authors’ voices can be heard in the text, not from the teacher. The last section, “Guidelines and Practices,” addresses teaching practices for racial inclusivity in the French classroom. Once the students have read and digested the text, how does one solicit safe, respectful discussions about race? This section provides guidelines for talking about race that are specific to the French language classroom and respond to the canonical/white education many instructors received. This section also discusses ways to handle difficult subject material and uncomfortable situations in the classroom. French departments have made great strides by stretching outside the French canon to include minority and female voices. Now, as instructors, it is our job to bridge the gap for our students between the racial reality of our world and the lessons to be extracted from the texts we present.