Date of Graduation

8-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in History (MA)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

History

Advisor/Mentor

Brogi, Alessandro

Committee Member

Banton, Caree

Second Committee Member

Cleveland, Todd

Keywords

Black; French; Student; transAtlantic

Abstract

Abstract This thesis examines the prominence of Black Americans in the 68’ student movement in France. May 68’ incorporated a diverse and global network of social movements and political organizations, and had a notable connection to the American student movement. Black Americans had formed a large expatriate community in France which overlapped with many of the transnational connections forged by the student movements of 68’. This community was extremely notable in the French public sphere for popular works of literature and music, but its political contributions have been minimized or understudied. By utilizing student accounts, state and organizational records, and media archives, this thesis highlights the role of Black Americans as prominent and vital participants in the French student movements. Student accounts and the records of international exchange programs such as the Fulbright program are of exceptional importance to this study, as they provide for both American perspectives of their participation and how organizations responded to it. This thesis seeks to contribute to the scholarship of France Noir and Transatlantic history by showcasing how they have become intertwined. The scholarship of ‘Black France’ has noticed the socio-political role of Black Americans in France, and Scholarship about the 1968 Student movements have identified the transatlantic connections of the student movements, but both have yet to engage with the other. This work puts forward that these distinct studies are evidence towards the growing historical development of a ‘Black Atlantic’ and a new form of Black internationalism.

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