Overview
In 1931, Simone Weil read an article by Louis Roubaud in the Petit Parisien that exposed the Yen Bay massacre in Indochina. That article opened Weil's eyes, and from then until her death in exile in 1943, she cared most deeply about the French colonial situation. Weil refused to accept the contradiction between the image of France as champion of the rights of man and the reality of France's exploitation and oppression of the peoples in its territories. Weil wrote thirteen articles or letters about the situation, writings originally publishsed in French journals or in French collections of her work. These translations introduce to English-speaking scholars and students this important element of Weil's political consciousness.
Full Product Details
Author: Simone Weil ,
J. P. Little
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Imprint: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Dimensions:
Width: 15.70cm
, Height: 2.10cm
, Length: 23.50cm
Weight: 0.449kg
ISBN: 9780742522824
ISBN 10: 0742522822
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 28 August 2003
Audience:
General/trade
,
Professional and scholarly
,
College/higher education
,
General
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
It is now perhaps a commonplace to remark that the 'postcolonial turn' in arts and humanities research has had major impact on what is read and how we read. There is need however, to consider the more complex process of assessment, reassessment and reconfiguration that such an observation conceals .Pat Little's welcome edition of Simone Weil's fragmented writings on colonialism represents an invaluable-and for many perhaps unexpected-addition to these studies in colonial thought and culture .The volume includes a clear and full introduction, the critical apparatus (prefatory notes to each of the individual texts, and full endnotes) is exemplary, and four valuable appendices include excerpts from those texts by Roubard, Londres, Challaye and Dermenghem that seem to have had a major impact on Weil's thought. Simone Weil on Colonialism offers essential source material. It will allow an audience within and beyond French studies to explore the issues that emerge from Weil's engagement with
For anyone who wants to reflect on the nature and evils of colonialism and on the morality of colonising the 'other,' Weil's writings continue to provide much food for thought. * Itinerario * It is now perhaps a commonplace to remark that the 'postcolonial turn' in arts and humanities research has had major impact on what is read and how we read. There is need however, to consider the more complex process of assessment, reassessment and reconfiguration that such an observation conceals....Pat Little's welcome edition of Simone Weil's fragmented writings on colonialism represents an invaluable-and for many perhaps unexpected-addition to these studies in colonial thought and culture....The volume includes a clear and full introduction, the critical apparatus (prefatory notes to each of the individual texts, and full endnotes) is exemplary, and four valuable appendices include excerpts from those texts by Roubard, Londres, Challaye and Dermenghem that seem to have had a major impact on Weil's thought. Simone Weil on Colonialism offers essential source material. It will allow an audience within and beyond French studies to explore the issues that emerge from Weil's engagement with the French empire. -- Charles Forsdick, Univeristy of Liverpool * International Journal Of Francophone Studies * This excellent collection shows the breadth of Simone Weil's anticolonial writings. . . . Appendixes, chronologies, and a select bibliography enhance a collection that contributes to understanding elements of French anticolonialism in the 1930s. Highly recommended. * CHOICE *
Author Information
J. P. Little, one of the world's most respected scholars of Simone Weil, is the author of Simone Weil: Waiting on Truth and numerous articles and conference presentations on Weil's life and work. She is lecturer in French (emerita) at St. Patrick's College, Dublin.
