Race, Racism, and the Academe: Black French-Speaking Scholars in the American and French Academe

The creation of Black Studies as an academic field has challenged old conceptual models within the American academe, and opened new possiblities for scholars outside of the United States. This paper looks at the migration of scholars between the three continents of Africa, Europe and the Americas, with a focus on scholars trained in in the social sciences in France or a former French colony. Specific attention is put on colonial relations of domination and how they are translated in the academic setting. In spite of their extensive training, few of these scholars are able to pursue an intellectual career in their country of origin. In response to the political and economic constraints at home, more often than not, the only viable option is to enter the global market. Following old patterns of migration, many attempted to enter the French academy, whose doors usually remain closed. A more recent and more succesfull option has been to cross the Atlantic in search of professional opportunities in American universities. Rather than simply following the routes of these intellectual migrants, this paper analyzes the complex connections between discplines and their object of study. While Blacks become extremely visible objects of research, they remain largely invisible as active and innovative producers of academic knowledge. In spite of a recent and more visible presence of Blacks in France, the field of Black Studies is quasi-inexistent. In the American context, in spite of higher chances of employment, non-US Black scholars do not fully blend into the space created by older generations of African-American scholars. Simultaneously, their access to the American academe provides them with the resources needed for any intellectual career. Thus, this paper examines the specific situation of Black scholars in the academe and how they cannot escape displacement in order to address racism.