Black Paris: Place, Circulation and the Mapping of Black Experiences
A F R I C A N A N D B L A C K D I A S P O R A : A N I N T E R N A T I O N A L J O U R N A L ( R O U T L E D G E )
C A L L F O R P A P E R S
TheEditorsofAfrican and Black Diaspora: An InternaƟonal Journal (Routledge) announcethecallforpaperson:BlackParis:
Place,CirculaƟonandtheMappingofBlackExperiences.
InFrance,theconvergenceofblackexperiencesinParis,followingthe1950sͲ1960smassivemigraƟonsfromtheCaribbeͲ anandAfrica,generatedsignicantsocialandculturalpracƟces,which,formost,haveremainedunknowntoFrenchpeople.
Rather,thenaƟonalcollecƟveimaginaƟonhasbeenmarkedbystriking,powerfulandwidelybroadcastedimages:thespecial forcesviolentlyevacuaƟngAfricanfamilieswhooccupiedSaintBernardchurchandaskedthegovernmentforlongͲtermvisasor, conversely,thevictoryofthe“BlackͲBlancͲBeur”soccerteamin1998.Theseeventsmadeblackpeoplevisiblebuttheirdiversity wasignored.Yet,thesocialandhumansciencesdidnotfullyseizethecomplexityofsuchhistoriesandtrajectories.Instead,sciͲ enƟcandpublicproducƟonswereͲandareͲfragmentedintoareaanddisciplinarystudiesandtendtoproduceauniedand homogenizingimageofthesepopulaƟons.SomescholarslikePascalBlanchardandal.(2001)interrogatedtherepresentaƟonsof blacknessintheFrenchcultureandcriƟcizedtheenduring invisibilityofblacksinFrenchhistory.Theybroughttolightthenames offamousoneslikeRenéMaranwhowereleŌasidethenaƟonalnarraƟve.DevelopingahistoricalandpoliƟcalposture,they recollectedpiecesoftheFrenchpast.Others,likeMilenaDoytcheva(2011),analyzedtheroleofethnicityinurbanpublicpolicies thusprovidingavaluableunderstandingofthetensionbetweenuniversalismandmulƟculturalismintheFrenchcontext.From thelate1990stotheearly2000s,otherstudieson“diversity”cameout,unveilingimportantsocialprocessesandmechanisms, butnotopeningtoatrueanalysispuƫng“blackness”atthecenter.Similarly,blacknesswasnotexploredinconnecƟonwiththe city.
InourpostͲBlack AtlanƟcworldexploringcreolizaƟon,thecultural,socialandeconomicconnecƟonsbetweenAfrica, AmericaortheCaribbean,itnolongerseemspossibletoconsiderblackParisonlyinitslocalityorsolelyinrelaƟontoFrench history.Rather,oneshouldconsiderhowblackpopulaƟonsinWesternsocieƟesͲnotablyinEuropeansocieƟesͲimaginethecity inconnecƟonwithmulƟplesscalesinterminglingAmerican,African,European,AsianworldssotorepresenttheircompositeculͲ turesandidenƟƟes.Followingtheseroutes(Cliīord:1997),reecƟngonblackParisimpliesshowinghowthisculturalandsocial diversityisepitomizedinthe"cityoflight".
TheeditorsareseekingpapersthatexamineblackParisthroughcirculaƟon,interacƟonandconfrontaƟonbetweenpeoͲ ple,cultures,idenƟƟesandsocialpracƟces.ContributorsareencouragedtoexploreblackParisasanexusoftransconƟnental cultural,idenƟty,poliƟcalandeconomicnetworksthroughavarietyofperspecƟves,disciplinesandeldsincludingtheoreƟcal works,literaryandculturalstudies,theartsandpopularculture,socialandurbanpolicies.
PapersmayquesƟonthemeaningofacontemporaryblackParis.ConsideringtheoĸcialabsenceofraceinFrenchpoliƟcs versustheinevitablepresenceofpopulaƟonsdenedorselfͲlabeledasblacksinParis,howcanblacknessbedened?Howcan suchadeniƟonincludetheideaofcirculaƟonsotorevealhowblacktrajectories,historiesandculturesevolveandinteractin thecity?ContributorsmayalsoexploretheconjuncƟonofdiīerentspaces(neighborhoods,thecity,thebanlieues).FromconͲ centraƟontodispersion,fromneighborhoodsidenƟedaspredominantlyblack–likeChâteauRouge–tothescarcityofthe blackpresenceintherstsevenarrondissements,thepointistoquesƟonhowblackpopulaƟonsoccupyormodifyexisƟngpubͲ licorprivatespacesorcreate"otherspaces"(MichelFoucault:1986)torepresentitscultures,idenƟƟesandmemories.Itmeans notfocusingonthecityasadelineatedspaceborderedbythepériphériquebutratherasamobilearea,aplaceofinteracƟon wherevariousblackselvesarecreatedandevolve.
FocusingonthecirculaƟonofpeople,culturesandsocialpracƟcesopenstoanotherdirecƟon:oneshouldlocateblack Parisinawiderspace:theAfricanandblackdiasporas.Theconstanttravelsof"Ultramarins",AfricanmigrantsandAfricandirect descendantsbackandforthtoAfrica,forceustoconsiderblackParisintransnaƟonalterms.Africanandblackdiasporasalso impactontheformaƟonandexistenceofablackParis.
ProspecƟvecontributorsareinvitedtosubmitproposalsforarƟclesintheformofa400wordͲabstractbyJuly30, 2012.AuthorsofacceptedabstractsnoƟedbyAugust30,2012andauthorsofselectedabstractswillbeaskedtosubmitarƟͲ clesinthenalform(inEnglish)byDecember17,2012.AllcommunicaƟonsregardingthisspecialediƟonshouldbedirectedto theGuestEditors,Dr.AudreyCélesƟne,UniversitéofLille(Lille),audrey.celesƟne@gmail.comandDr.SarahFilaͲBakabadio,UniͲ versityofCergyͲPontoise,(Paris),Sarah.FilaͲBakabadio@ehess.fr