FRE 338 - France: The Soccer Empire

In 1998 when “Les Bleus,” the French National Team won the world cup, the world (re)discovered the complexity of the society. Again in 2018, when the media claimed that 87% of the players were immigrants or children of immigrants, or when Trevor Noah joked that “Africa won the World Cup,” soccer revealed once more that its history, the French National Team’s history (men and women), and the history of French colonialism are intimately intertwined. In “France: The Soccer Empire,” students will study the fascinating and problematic intersection of French history, culture, and soccer, using documentaries, newspapers and other media coverage, as well as artifacts, and archival materials. As they study the structures of the French professional soccer leagues for men and women, the accredited youth training centers, the selection processes for the national teams, the World Cup organization, students will examine historical and contemporary manifestations of inequalities and injustice between Western countries and the Global South, between former colonizers and former colonized countries, and understand the power dynamics at stake in these new postcolonial relationships.