Mémoires sensibles, mémoires métisses de la colonisation

Abstract

This article is based on the analysis of the memoirs of Gabriel d’Arboussier, a major political figure of African independence. A gripping account of mixed heritage and imperial—even global—cosmopolitanism, these two unpublished manuscripts offer an original entry point into a sensitive history of the colonial situation. Starting from the perspective of a “mixed-race” man who had the particularity of being as French as he was African, this article seeks to explore his logic of action and system of representation. We show how these writings of the self offer an excellent observatory of social constructions and identities of interraciality, and how they allow the reader to grasp the biographical and family tensions generated by the history of colonialism and decolonization.

Keywords

• Mixed Race
• Decolonization
• Writings of the Self
• Africa–France Relations
• Gabriel d’Arboussier