Essay: Les Bleus and Black: A Football Elegy to French Colorblindness

By Khaled A. Beydoun.

Available here

Excerpt: “The turbulent ballad that is French Football reveals that colorblindness—for French footballers of color and the millions living in France that share their race, ethnicity or religion—is contingent upon excellence. This myth is fleeting, and demystified by racial realities on the ground, including the emergent white supremacist populism rising from the right. These threats, which orient race and religion as inimical to French identity, combined with the vividly African, Arab and Muslim identity of the French football team that captured the World Cup 2018 title, signals the end of the myth that is French colorblindness.”