French historian Pap NDiaye, PhD, a specialist in the social history of the United States, with a focus on minorities, is the next lecturer in the Marianne Midwest Series at the University of Chicago on Nov. 10 at 6:30 p.m. Post-lecture discussion will be moderated by Michael C. Dawson, founder & director of Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture at the University of Chicago.

NDiaye’s lecture, titled “The Minority Paradox: Blackness in France,” explores the idea of “French Black” and what the notion of “blackness” means in France. As France grapples with racial and ethnic divides, NDiaye asks why so few scholars have engaged the plight of racial minorities in France, especially given the troubling history of the 20th century and the coming of age of a new “blackness” in the 21st century.

A pioneer in Black Studies in French, NDiaye is author of four books and professor at Sciences Po Paris. He cofounded the Circle of Action for the Promotion of Diversity in France (CAPDIV) with Patrick Loze, and is currently working on a global history of civil rights in the 20th century.

Organized by the France Chicago Center, with support from the Center for the Study of Race Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago, the Cultural Services of the French Consulate in Chicago, the Book Office at the French Embassy in New York, the University of Chicago French Club, Franke Institute for the Humanities, and the Alliance Française de Chicago.

CULTURAL SERVICE