Program Dates: TBD

Program Overview

Language of Instruction: English

"The Afro/Black FSP was a life-changing experience that allowed me to learn about French history and cultures both in and outside of the classroom. I have not experienced anything like it thus far. The trip to the Dordogne region in France to see Josephine Baker's Chateau and fieldtrips to other regions were amazing and also instructive. Art was a vital part of our program and being surrounded by the arts also provided me with an opportunity to perform my poetry at a jazz club through the Jazz/Spoken World workshop and to have a portrait made of me by a well-known artists whose work focuses on the experiences of people from African descent. The Afro/Black Paris FSP was without a doubt a rewarding experience that I highly recommend to others."  Antonette Davids, Dartmouth '20

"Professor Keaton kept her promise when she said it would be an unforgettable experience. I gained so many adaptable life-lessons and academic skills. Choosing to go on this FSP during my freshman summer was hands down one of my best decisions at Dartmouth thus far.  A great deal of my growth, both personally and as an aspiring academic, is thanks to this FSP."  Nai-ah Dixon, Dartmouth '21

View the Afro/Black Paris Experience in the following videos:

Afro Black Paris FSP, 2018

African Americans in France

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The African and African American Studies Program (AAAS) offers an FSP in Paris, France, entitled Afro/Black Paris: The African Diaspora in the City of Light. The AAAS Paris FSP takes place in one of the most extraordinary destinations in the world. It embodies experiential learning, and is intensive, interdisciplinary, and immersive. Comprised of three courses taught in English, this Program offers a unique opportunity to explore "another Paris," the exceptional and lived-experience that we refer to as Afro/Black Paris, described by former students as "life-altering!"

Nowhere has a metropolis in mainland Europe been so historically and socially transformed by a fascinating diversity of people from countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas. What accounts for that presence? What are the lived experiences of people who self-identify and/or are identified as "b/Black," that is, "n/Noir.e.s."? What are the implications of this lived reality in France today? These are among the questions we will explore.

Students enrolled at Dartmouth's exchange partner schools, including Spelman, Morehouse and schools participating in the Twelve College Exchange are eligible and welcome to apply.

Faculty Director

Professor Trica Keaton – Dartmouth College

Prerequisites
Preference will be given to students who have taken at least one course in AAAS, and are interested in learning, not only, about Afro/Black Paris, but also, about Paris and France.

Student Life

Living Accommodations: TBA

Students will stay in hotels during overnight fieldtrips.

For more information, please contact:

Professor Trica Keaton at trica.d.keaton@dartmouth.edu

or visit the AAAS website at http://aaas.dartmouth.edu/foreign-study/paris-foreign-study-program

Financial Information - Forthcoming

Paris, France is one of the most extraordinary destinations in the world. It is also an exceptional site in the African diaspora, a “City of Light” that Ernest Hemingway befittingly describes as “a moveable feast.” Nowhere has a metropolis in mainland Europe been so historically and socially transformed by a fascinating diversity of people from countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas. Although their presence in France is centuries-old, Paris and France continue to be a contested home for their French descendants and others of African descent where questions of race, racialization, racism, anti-racism and their intersection conjugate with myths, narratives, and representations of these regions as colorblind and race-free.

What is Afro/Black Paris? What are the important events, key debates, and central figures associated with it? What do belonging and identity politics look like on the ground for citizens and denizens who refer to themselves and/or are referred to by others as “Afro French,” “B/black,” or “N/noir-e-s?” Is it as James Baldwin writes, “[i]n America, the color of my skin had stood between myself and me; in Europe, that barrier was down?”

• Experience a unique opportunity to explore “another Paris,” the exceptional and lived-experience that we refer to as Afro/Black Paris!
• Experience workshops on art, cuisine, film, Hip Hop, jazz, the literary landscape, museums, open markets, and so much more!
• Experience fieldtrips, ranging from a major slave port in France (i.e., Nantes) to the fairytale medieval village and chateau in the Dordogne region (i.e., Chateau des Milandes) where Josephine Baker and her twelve adopted children prospered!

For more information, please contact:

Professor Trica Keaton