Childhood and Education in the Caribbean

In this course we will study contemporary Caribbean writers’ unease with, and denunciation of, a European post-colonial school system implanted in the French Caribbean that ignored the socio-economic and linguistic reality of the population, and therefore alienated them. How did the French curriculum shape the identity of Caribbean children? What methods did these writers use to resist assimilation? By focusing on first-person narratives from a variety of French Caribbean countries we will study topics such as colonization, alienation, diversity, inclusion, and equity. Writers will include Chamoiseau, Condé, Pineau, Victor, and Tyrolien. This course is part of the Public Humanities Labs Initiative administered by the Axinn Center for the Humanities. (FREN 0220-0230 or by waiver) 3 hrs. lect.