Introduction – Racism in France unit
I recently wrapped up a unit on racial, ethnic, and religious inequalities in France with my intermediate-advanced French students. When I shared about the success of my unit on Instagram, I had over 35 comments requesting more information! So here are the resources I used in my racism in France unit.
The why – why teach about racism in France?
In my third year of University, I took a class on racism in France as part of my Bachelors in French. My professor broke down the experiences of marginalized communities and how they are perceived in France.
I had several professors teach extensively about alterité, racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, the suppression of minority rights, and the concept (or lack thereof) of hybrid identities.
As a teacher, I want my students to have a well-rounded understanding of France. After all, human rights cannot be separated from teaching about French and francophone cultures. They are intricately connected.
Who – who should learn about racism in France?
I did this unit with my intermediate-advanced FSL class, but it would also work with Immersion students as well (Elementary or Secondary).
You can modify your choice of resources and their language level according to the level and age of your students.
Objectives
By the end of this unit, students will :
- understand how the dialect of verlan is intricately connected to the identities of youth of racial, ethnic and religious minorities
- comprehend how French institutions are founded on the concepts of ‘universalism’, aka colorblindness
- understand how French institutions systemically and systematically marginalize minorities
- listen to a podcast episode about living in France vs. the U.S. as racialized minorities
- partake in a Jigsaw assignment
- complete a one-pager project
Structure & format of the racism in France unit
1. Introduce students to ‘verlan’.
If you are looking to increase your knowledge of verlan, I highly encourage that you watch Netflix’s Plan coeur. It’s absolutely hilarious and I picked up so much slang from it!
If you choose to purchase my verlan unit on TPT, a list of French slang/verlan is already included.
2. Introduce students to French banlieues
I wrote my own article on French banlieues for my FSL students. Warning : the level of French is challenging, but not impossible. I had my students :
- highlight all mots-amis and mots-familiers in the text first
- underline 3-4 main key words from each paragraph
- break down the article into small chunks. I assigned 1 paragraph to each partner duo. I asked them to summarize the main idea in their paragraph in 1-2 sentences.
- explain the significance of their paragraph to the class (in English)
Despite the article being extremely tough, my students were SO engaged. After each paragraph, we had a discussion about the themes discussed.
I actually really struggled to bring them back to the article since they were so engaged in discussion! Even my students who struggle so much with French were hooked from beginning to end.
Alternatively, you can also teach your students about French banlieues via articles & videos. See below for my recommendations.
3. Jigsaw activity – reading/listening comprehension
For this activity, pick any 4 resources from this unit to assign to your students. I really recommend the podcast episode below be one of the choices.
Ideally, they should take about 40-50 minutes for your students to break down and analyze.
4. Extension activities of your choice (film study, more primary source analyses, etc)
One-pager final project
I had heard of and seen examples of one-pagers done in Social Studies all over the teachergram world. One of the first examples of one-pagers I had seen on the Internet was from Too Cool From Middle School.
I decided to give them a try for French class! Thank you to my fellow French teacher colleague Jenn Bairos for sending me videos, instructions and samples of her own students’ one-pagers! It was thanks to Jenn that I was able to see how it would work for my own students!
They were a hit!
My students absolutely LOVED this project! So many of my students decided to work on this at home even though it wasn’t assigned as homework!
I loved that they had to take all of the information that they had learned and present it in a visual manner.
There was also a lot of student choice involved, and that is why the end results were so powerful!
Key criteria to emphasize to students :
Important Resources I use
1. Kiffe ta race – Podcast – START HERE
This is hands down one of my favourite podcast episodes EVER. It is entirely in English given that the hosts are interviewing an American.
During this 50-minute episode, the hosts discuss racism and identity in France vs. the US, Islamophobia, and so much more.
2. La France gagne la coupe du monde
If your students are new to the concept of identity in France, then this article is an excellent starting point. The theme is the idea of hybrid identities in France and how French society does not allow its’ citizens to express their identities.
It is a free download in my TPT.
3. Liberté inégalités fraternité – interactive website
This is an interactive website exploring the systemic inequalities of the French education system and how it reinforces a poverty cycle.
4. Banlieusards – Netflix film
This is a BEAUTIFUL film on Netflix about living in French banlieues and I had my students watch this at home as part of an assignment. I highly recommend! There is no foul language and violence – it’s just a piece of art!
5. Aïssa Maïga
Aïssa Maïga is a very popular French actress. You can find many of her films on Netflix! In March 2020, the actress called out the Césars, an awards ceremony similar to the Oscars, for it’s lack of representation.
Aïssa was consequently told off by French media and figures by “racializing” and dividing the nation. Aïssa’s treatment by French media further demonstrated how far French society is from achieving its colorblind ideals when it accuses a Black woman of inciting racial tensions.
Dear France — the problem isn’t Aïssa, it’s you.
She also has a book called Noire n’est pas mon métier.
6. News articles – French & English
- A Racial Awakening in France, Where Race Is a Taboo Topic (New York Times)
- The Other France (New Yorker)
- Comment le système éducatif français aggrave les inégalités sociales (le Monde)
7. DamonAndJo – What is verlan
This is a super fun video that introduces the linguistic background of verlan.
8.Le verlan – articles et activités
This resource is my absolute pride and joy. It took me over three months to write two articles and all of the accompanying activities and tasks. Suffice it to say it was a labour of love and passion. There are two versions of this resource – one for FSL and another for French Immersion. Here is what this resource includes :
- A research activity introducing students to verlan and argot français
- A 2-page article on French banlieues, immigration, racism and youth identities (which are all linked)
- A jigsaw activity with 4 resources
- Reading comprehension article on the origins and importance of Verlan
Thank you so much for reading!
If you read all the way to bottom, thank you from the bottom of my heart! If you are interested more in diversity and representation in French class, please check out the following articles :
