AAAS 68.20 French Museums and the African Diaspora
This course delves into the intersections of art, race, and representation within French museum collections, with a particular focus on Africans and African descended peoples in France and beyond. Key debates and questions addressed in this course include: How have museums in France “acquired” their African and diasporic art collections? What is the value of uncovering and/or amplifying the backstories or narratives of black figures depicted in European art? What are the implications of the presence—or absence—of art objects by people of African descent in national museums, and what do omissions and silences reveal about museum curatorial practices in France? By engaging these issues in relation to broader themes and concepts of de/coloniality, modernity, and race, students will gain a deeper understanding of the evolving role of museums not only as heritage sites but also sites vested with cultural, historical, and memory that gesture to futures yet untold.