Cultural Representations of Massacre - by Sabrina Parent (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In this book, Parent puts together a history of representations of the 1944 mutiny in Senegal. Combining firsthand analysis of the works and their intertextual interactions as well an external perspective, Parent engages with history, literature, film, poetics, and politics and highlights the importance of remembering the past.

Review Quotes

"With erudition, elegance, and sensitivity, Parent documents how writers, filmmakers, and poets over the years reinserted Thiaroye into African and French history and memory. She thus gives a voice to the former colonized people who present their own rendering of the events. This remarkable scholarship is informative, sophisticated, and offers a stimulating reading experience." - Dina Sherzer, Professor Emeritus of French, Italian, and Comparative Literature, University of Texas at Austin, USA

"With great acuity, Parent provides a clear, explanatory history of people: those who actually suffered from the lethally arrogant behavior of the colonists, as well as those who strove to mark the massacre of Thiaroye in writing, using a creative talent that is necessarily somewhat removed from complete historical accuracy. I am indebted to Parent, whose tireless and profound work made me first admit, and later share her point of view that the official history of the massacre of Thiaroye was in fact merely fiction - which is not to say a lie. This research represents a historic milestone." - Armelle Mabon, Associate Professor of History, Université de Bretagne-Sud, Lorient, France

About the Author

Sabrina Parent is a research fellow in the Faculté de Philosophie et Lettres at the Université Libre de Bruxelles.