Frederick Cooper (2014): Citizenship between Empire and Nation. Remaking France and French Africa, 1945-1960.

Abstract

The subject of numerous books, studies, and analyses, colonialism in Africa is still an oft-debated issue with contemporary ramifications. The continent was divided between several European nations, and it has been standard practice up until now that a majority of historical accounts of this period were written in the language particular to the respective power. Thus, it is not altogether surprising that the history of French colonial rule in Africa is best recounted in the native tongue of the colonialists, and likewise the Portuguese colonial empire is best analysed in língua portuguesa. However, several works crucial to our understanding of French colonialism are written in English, one of the more notable being Frederick Cooper’s monograph, Citizenship between Empire and Nation. Remaking France and French Africa, 1945-1960, published by Princeton University Press.