French Colonial Empire at School

As memories and legacies of the French colonial empire are a live issue in France, public debate often claims that the history of colonization is not taught. This inaccurate but repeated assertion raises the critical question of the extent and methods of teaching about the colonial empire in secondary education. The aim of this presentation is firstly to shed light on the shaping and results of the official guidelines and curricula, then on the textbooks that serve as the main support for classroom teaching, and finally to look at the concrete practices and challenges faced by teachers in the classroom.