Prize fights
René Maran, Battling Siki, and the triumph of the black man in France, 1922
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2928660 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Christopher Miller (0000-0003-4161-4482, Yale University and Mount Holyoke College), Christopher A Miller (0000-0001-9902-0009, Mount Holyoke College), Christopher Rivers (Yale University and Mount Holyoke College) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 219-247 |
| Publication date | 2011-01-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Contemporary French Civilization (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0147-9156 • E-ISSN: 2044-396X |
| Publisher | Liverpool University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.3828/cfc.2011.17 |
| OpenAlex | W1981459885 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 1 |
In in the wake of World War I, within the span of nine months, two victories in two different competitive spheres – one in sports, one in literature – generated waves of anxiety and speculation about the philosophical, political, and cultural meanings of race and empire. In December 1921 the Prix Goncourt was awarded to Martinican-born Rene Maran for his veritable roman negre Batouala; then, in September 1922, the Senegalese-born boxer Amadou M'barick Louis Fall, known as Battling Siki, defeated the beloved Idol of France, Georges Carpentier. Maran was the first black recipient of a French literary prize; Siki was the first African world champion in any sport. Both were French citizens. For the first time, huge numbers of French people took note of the accomplishments of their black compatriots and asked themselves questions about race and empire. This essay examines the Affaire Batouala and the Affaire Siki as curious, intertwined stories of racial triumph and peril, in truth and in the pop
Ancient history · Art · Art history · Empire · Political science · Politics · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis · History · Law · North African History and Literature · Sport and Mega-Event Impacts
| Citations per year | 0.33 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2023 - 2023 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |