Book Review: Race and War in France

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Race and War in France: Colonial Subjects in the French Army, 1914-1918. By Richard S. Fogarty. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008. 374 pages. $60.00. Reviewed by David C. Bennett, Adjunct Faculty, US Army War College.

Professor Fogarty's interest in the topic and his significant previous scholarship provided the opportunity to transform his Ph.D. dissertation into an eminently readable and coherent book on a subject that is sensitive even 90 years after the events. His research and publications over the past decade have focused on the themes of World War I, religion, race relations, and colonialism. This latest book provides the reader with a thorough description of France's use of almost half a million colonial soldiers and the difficulties the French government faced.

The Introduction provides a solid setting for the seven chapters and conclusion that follow. Professor Fogarty quickly addresses the quirks of translation. One term he defines well and uses repeatedly is indigene, which refers to colonial forces, whether in the colonies (and thus they are "indigenous"), or in the theaters of war (when they are certainly not "indigenous").

The author presents strong arguments related to the conflicting dimensions of the Third Republic. Having come to power after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the staunchly republican governments worked to balance conflicting pressures. One such pressure was vigorous colonial expansion (encouraged by the British and German examples) and the attitudes and policies it generated. As France acquired its new empire, it ruled either through assimilation (if the indigènes became linguistically and culturally French they could become French citizens) or association (the indigènes retained much of their own culture and were partners-albeit junior partners-with France). Fogarty introduces these two distinctly opposite systems well and employs them throughout the book. Another pressure emanated from the theories of human rights as set out in the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen" (adopted in France in August 1789, two years before the US Bill of Rights). These rights contradicted the concepts of establishing overseas colonies and treating people of color as second-class persons. Fogarty describes these incongruities with clarity and substance.

Although the author does not dwell on the history of WWI (providing only one map of France), he highlights the need for large numbers of indigenes and explains how the French government and military, often based on racial stereotypes, separated those who are "warrior-type" (les races guerrières) and those who are not (les races non-guerrières). The case is well-supported that those who are warriors are destined to be so based on their ethnicity, and their role in the war was mostly on the front. Yet even these forces were often viewed as inept to perform technical tasks or serve as leaders due to their perceived racial inferiority or lack of French-language skills. Fogarty dedicates an entire chapter to these issues. He dwells on the inadequate language proficiency of many of the indigenes being a result of inadequate schooling either in the colonies or in the language training provided to soldiers in France.

The book makes a forceful case regarding Islam and the efforts made by the French to accommodate their Muslim North African troops. Throughout the Third Republic, France had been ruled by strongly secular governments. Fogarty goes to great lengths to document the efforts made to deal with issues of faith among the colonized peoples of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia who were fighting for France. The complexities of prayer, holy days, funerals, mosques, and the rights and obligations of citizenship are effectively described. Fogarty clearly depicts the challenges posed by the "statut personnel" of many Muslims, whereby they retained the application of Shari'a law while enjoying limited benefits of association under the French colonial regimes.

In the chapter on "Race, Sex, and Imperial Anxieties," the author convincingly explains the conflict between republican ideals and the concepts of colonial power. While fraternization between the troupes indigènes and French women may have been accepted under the precepts evolving from the French Revolution, it also unsettled the colonial order when African forces returned home. Fogarty describes these issues in a thorough and tasteful manner.

Fogarty concludes his narrative by bringing together the various elements detailed in earlier chapters. He reviews the conflicts and complexities faced by the French authorities in trying to provide troops to fight a war. The climate is cold and inhospitable; for many the language is alien; the customs and traditions are foreign; and the military hierarchy often fails to recognize skill and leadership among the troupes indigènes and deprives them of awards, promotions, or advancement. Fogarty describes a nation where the racial attitudes, colonial policies, and wartime decisions were often contradictory. Frenchmen who served in the colonies and wanted to maintain the colonial status quo after the war were often at odds with liberal-thinking republicans who believed in the equality of the troupes indigènes. The inability of the French to reconcile these fundamental differences sowed the seeds of decolonization and the end of the French empire a few decades later. Fogarty provides readers with a solid review of the challenges of war, human rights, and colonialism in a very readable and well-documented book.

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