Between Totem And Taboo

Black Man, White Woman in Francographic Literature

By (author) Roger Little

Book cover: Between Totem And Taboo

Extent: 292 pages

Publisher: University of Exeter Press

Subjects: French Studies, Literary Studies

Language: English

(Hardback) (Published)

(February 2001)

ISBN: 9780859896498

6.14 x 9.21 inches

Price: $90.00

In stock

Between Totem and Taboo picks its way 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.


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




 


  • By (author) Roger Little

"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

'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)