Between Totem And Taboo

Black Man, White Woman in Francographic Literature

By (author) Roger Little

Publication date:

01 February 2001

Publisher

University of Exeter Press

Dimensions:

234x156mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9780859896498

Between Totem and Taboo picks its way judiciously through a minefield of prejudice, myth and stereotypes. It is the first book to explore the literary representation by authors black and white, male and female, of interracial relations between France and her former territories in West Africa through the special nexus of the white woman and the black man.

Presented as a text-based chronological exploration of the relationship from 1740 to the present day, it reveals how racism distorted such relations for a quarter of a millennium. It will fascinate anyone seriously interested in Black studies, Women's studies and Postcolonial studies, who will find in it not only many unknown or unconsidered texts but a new angle of approach to their research. All quotations are in French and English.

Acknowledgements

Some Key Dates

Introduction: Between Totem and Taboo

1. Eighteenth-century Enwhitenment

2. From Taboo to Totem

3. Traditions and Transitions

4. Opposite genders, Opposite Agendas

5. The French Empire Writes Back

6. Struggles for Independence

7. The Freedom to Choose

8. Liberty and Licence

9. Full Circle

Conclusion: Beyond Difference and Indifference

Notes

Select Bibliography

Index

'Wide ranging and fascinating . . . For its breadth of knowledge, ranging across centuries and continents, this book will be indispensable to all those with an interest in this subject.' (FS LVI.3, 2002)