THE PRESENCE OF THE POPULATION OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA IN FRANCE. A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

Abstract

The article is an analysis of the presence of Africans in France from ancient times to the beginning of the twenty-first century. Its main thesis is the claim that Africans were present in France in all historical periods and their role in French society was not marginal. The presence of the population of sub-Saharan Africa in Europe is much earlier than the slave trade and colonial conquest. The occupation by the Arabs of a big part of Europe in the eighth century took place with participation of African knights from sub-Saharan Africa. In the literature, the presence of Sub-Saharan Africa population in the history of France, was not present until the first decade of the twenty-first century. Among the recent publications one should pay attention to the collective book edited by Pascal Blanchard, La France noire, trois Siècles d'histoire des Noirs en France, published in 2011. The publication remains a major historical source with documents, photographs, newspaper clippings and iconography, that materialized the presence and undeniable merits of Africans in French history. However, official French history textbooks remain silent on the subject.