Dina Sherzer is Professor and Chair of the Department of French and Italian at the University of Texas at Austin.
Summary
In this first major study of French colonial and postcolonial cinema, Dina Sherzer compiles essays by some of
the foremost scholars on the subject who interrogate and analyze the realities behind the images of the nation's
past and present. Through an examination of France and its colonies, multiethnic contemporary France, and cinematic
discourses which have been and are being produced about France's colonial past, these authors explore how the images
relay underlying assumptions and their relation to historical and political facts. A variety of subjects and viewpoints
inform these studies, which cover the entire range of films on that topic.
The authors expound upon the role French and Francophone films are currently playing in reconstructing and imagining
France's colonial past. Not only do the essays examine how French cinema has represented the encounter of French
citizens with individuals from former colonies during the colonial era; they examine how French cinema has portrayed
and has come to terms with the immigration of former colonial subjects to France. In addition, the book features
another postcolonial facet by analyzing films of directors from the former colonies who give their own representation
of colonialism and presentation of their culture.
This study is a major contribution to postcolonial research. Race, gender, and geography are central themes throughout
this book that presents innovative material that contributes to the history of French cinema and emphasizes how
cinema participates in and is a part of national culture.