Olivette Otele has been invited by the Collège de France assembly, at the suggestion of Profs Samantha Besson, Edith Heard, Antoine Lilti, Vinciane Pirenne-Delforge and Thomas Römer.
This series of four lectures by Olivette Otele is part of the Collège de France's Europe cycle. In 2024-2026, this cycle will be devoted to the theme "Africa-Europe".
This cycle of four conferences will explore the histories and experiences of people of African descent to understand how their trajectories are intimately linked to the history of Europe. The changing perceptions and representations of people of African descent over the centuries will be examined. A critical look will then be taken at how their histories have been focused on the colonial period (15th-19th centuries), and how color prejudice has become central to the notion of race. These communities, often perceived as victims, have managed to emerge from trauma through various memorial practices, which will be examined. The question of the legacies of the past for the present will also be addressed, notably around memorial issues, reparations and the body as a site of political struggle but also as a tool for healing trauma.
