Tout simplement noir: Simply Parody or Complex Paradox in France's (Post)Racial Utopia?. Issue 4 (8th August 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dutton, Jacqueline
• Is Part Of: Contemporary French and francophone studies. Volume 26:Issue 4/5(2022)
• Page Start: 449
• Page End: 460
• Publication Date: 2022-08-08
• Subjects: Tout simplement noir -- Black Lives Matter -- Parody -- Paradox -- Communitarianism -- Afrotopia; French literature -- Periodicals; France -- Civilization -- Periodicals; Culture -- Study and teaching -- France -- Periodicals; 306.094405
• DOI: 10.1080/17409292.2022.2107274
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1740-9292

Abstract

Abstract: In July 2020, the comedy film Tout simplement noir by Jean-Pascal Zadi and John Wax was released at the height of "Black Lives Matter" marches around the world. This compelling text of the times can be interpreted either as a simple parody of identity politics discourses, black rights movements, and celebrity self-aggrandizement, or a complex paradox demonstrating the antinomic potentialities of the film exposing both racial and post-racial utopias. This article aims to explore briefly these two possible interpretations of the film, which are not necessarily mutually exclusive and can co-exist to further understanding of both the particular text and the underpinning context. Ideological positions examined include communitarianism, universalism, republicanism, utopianism and Afrotopianism.