International Conference
University Paris XIII, France
Identity Politics and Minorities in the
English-speaking World and France: Rhetoric and Reality
26-27 March 2009
Call for papers
Several competing discourses on colonial
heritage and immigration have recently emerged
in the West. Some of these discourses tended to
emphasize the positive impact of a past many
people consider to be traumatic, triumphant, or
sometimes both at once. In fact, laws have been
passed, in France and elsewhere, to create an
official version of history that adopted and
disseminated one particular version of such
history. These laws echo political discourses
meant to reflect the nationâ??s ideals and the
tendencies of public opinion. For
others, however, these laws are oppressive and
discriminatory, and will have a negative effect
on minority identities and rights. These two
approaches may suggest that there is an official
national identity on the one hand, while on the
other, peripheral identities are in the process
of being constructed, and therefore cannot
officially and overtly take part in the elaboration of national ideals.
The conference will explore these and other
contested issues associated with nationalism,
race and identity politics. Analyzing these
notions may also imply a historical reflection
on the role, place, and history of minority
groups in France and in the English-speaking
world. The conference will focus specifically on
the United States, the United Kingdom, France,
Australia and Canada. It welcomes
multidisciplinary contributions from the fields
of politics, civilization, history,
historiography, sociology, and anthropology.
Papers addressing the following areas will be most welcome:
1. Ethnic minorities and nationalisms
2. Multiculturalism or colorblindness
3. Apology and reparations.
4. Affirmation and redefinition of identity
5. Historicization of discrimination
6. Memory and politics
Proposal should not exceed 500 words, and should
be sent with a short biography before November 15th 2008 either to:
· Vanessa CASTEJON
<mailto:(castejon.vanessa /at/ wanadoo.Fr)>(castejon.vanessa /at/ wanadoo.Fr) or
· Rim LATRACHE
<mailto:(rim.latrache /at/ univ-paris13.fr)>(rim.latrache /at/ univ-paris13.fr) or
· Olivette
OTELE <mailto:(olivette.otele /at/ googlemail.com)>(olivette.otele /at/ googlemail.com)
CRIDAF-EA 453, Université Paris XIII
99 Av. Jean-Baptiste Clément F933430, Villetaneuse, France
Members of the scientific committee:
Dr Vanessa Castejon (University Paris 13);
Prof. Didier Fassin (University Paris 13)
Dr Rim Latrache (University Paris 13);
Prof. Françoise Lejeune (University Nantes, France)
Prof. Fethi Mansouri (<?xml:namespace prefix =
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"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
/>Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia)
Dr Olivette Otele (University Paris 13);
Prof. Claire Parfait (University Paris 13)
Prof. François Poirier (University Paris 13)
