The Reparative in Narratives Works of Mourning in Progress

The debate over colonial history and memory has long been an issue in French culture, and The Reparative in Narratives explores the ideological framework that has recently facilitated this debate but also considerably limited its scope. Some claim that reflecting on the history of slavery, colonization, resistance and collaboration only encourages a socially divisive mentality of 'repentance'. Others refuse to turn a blind eye to the current repercussions of a history of violence and discrimination, arguing that the past will haunt the present until it has been responsibly and transparently examined. Focusing on novelists (Ehni's Algrie roman), humorists (Fellag, Abdiche), lawyers (Halimi), and filmmakers whose work has had a direct impact on recent political decisions (Haneke, Bouchareb), The Reparative in Narratives suggests that it is imperative to look at the past but also illusory to hope that memorial narratives can guarantee to repair or heal what French thinkers call the 'colonial fracture'.