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Reviews 191 France and French society on their head and asserts new arguments to fight racism. Overall, the book offers much food for thought and the extensive bibliography and methodological references provide a wealth of information for further research in the field.Although some of the content may make the reader feel uncomfortable, the core of the study offers an invaluable opportunity to grapple with the injustices faced by black and brown people, a reality that unfortunately extends well beyond the borders of France. This book will certainly appeal to scholars as well as their students who need an entry point into the oftentimes overwhelming field of critical race theory but also to those who are passionate about the need for change and hope to inspire others to make a difference to systematic oppression from all walks of life. University of Toronto Catherine Gaughan Guiney, M. Martin. Literature, Pedagogy, and Curriculum in Secondary Education: Examples From France. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017. ISBN 978-3-31952138 . Pp. 305. How does one effectively teach literature today when students and parents and politicians demand that schools guarantee good jobs? Moreover, what can France teach America about Gen Ed reform? The teaching of literature in France has almost come full circle, moving from the idealist, aristocratic-type pedagogy for the happy few eager to acquire the necessary cultural capital to conquer and impress, as described in chapter 1, to the much more inclusive“republican”educational system in place today. But old habits die hard, as chapter 2 details, and the elitism that characterized the old pedagogy still prevails; witness the prestige of the baccalauréat. The reform of literary pedagogy in France goes back at least to Gustave Lanson’s pragmatism and the decision in the early twentieth century to take out Latin and Greek from the bac, and spans post-1968 proposals to make literature more relevant to student needs. Chapter 4 discusses the 1969 Charbonnières manifesto, which set out to revamp literary pedagogy by abolishing centuries of traditional pedagogy. The Charbonnières “liberation pedagogy”(131) sought to recognize the validity of students’own life experiences and cultures and to demystify literature by recognizing non-traditional modes of literary expression, such as advertisement, news, and film, but also debunking textual authority (31). Such bold attempts to bridge the pedagogical divide, however, lead to intractable contradictions. How to validate local culture without falling into the relativistic trap whereby canonical literature is no longer all important? How does one prevent society from fragmenting into multiple, closed cultural communities? Guiney also discusses the representation of literature in popular culture, such as Le petit Nicolas, and much more critical films, for example, L’esquive and Entre les murs. He takes a polemical stance, advocating for comprehensive reform, here and in France, so as to bring Gen Ed and literature, in particular, in line with job-related goals without selling out to the “neoliberal beast” of the market. Fortunately, literature still counts not only in France but throughout the EU, and the PISA exam administered by the OECD tests reading comprehension through literature, suggesting that literature still has relevance today. But how to ensure that it is taught in such a way as to make literature a“reading for life”experience? This is a well-researched,finely balanced,and authoritative account of the travails of Gen Ed in the United States and France. While there is no doubt that France has been at the forefront of reform and that the culture wars have been more brutal than in the United States, it is uncertain whether or not American policy makers or the general public, for that matter, know anything about France or, sadly, care enough to become informed. As Guiney establishes, with admirable clarity, literary competency should not be the equivalent of a “secret code,” but a set of skills that improve people’s lives, lest it perish in a protectionist realm where its transformative character will never serve students well or be recognized by the general public. St. Norbert College (WI) Tom Conner Jarrod, Hayes. Queer Roots for the Diaspora: Ghost in the Family Tree.Ann Arbor: UP of Michigan, 2016. ISBN 978-0-472...

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