National Week for Education and Action against Racism and Anti-Semitism: March 17 to 21
The National Week for Education and Action against Racism and Anti-Semitism is organised every year in France by the DILCRAH (Interministerial Delegation for Combating Racism, Anti-Semitism and Anti-LGBT Hatred) and the Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research.
The DILCRAH defines racism as ‘a doctrine based on the belief that there is a hierarchy between human groups, according to nationality, an alleged race, skin colour, descent or national or ethnic origin’, and anti-semitism as ‘the perception of Jews that can be expressed by hatred towards them.’ A National Plan to Combat Racism, Anti-Semitism and Discrimination Based on Origin (2023-2026) was introduced by the government in January 2023, with concrete measures to measure discrimination, raise awareness of the issue, punish discriminatory behaviour and provide better support for victims.
At ESSEC, the CEDI (Cendre Egalité Diversité Inclusion) is responsible, among other things, for combating racism and anti-semitism, for example thanks to the Fresque de la Diversité, or the introduction of the Respect for Others Charter, associated with a whistleblowing platform.
We have selected some resources to help you to better understand this discrimination and combat it more effectively.
Réseau Canopé, which is dedicated to in-service teacher training, offers a wide selection of resources on racism and anti-Semitism: reports, videos, podcasts, etc. (in French)
Books
- Custos-Lucidi, M.-F., & Gaignard Lise. (2024). Le racisme ordinaire au travail. Erès.
- Livingston, R. W. (2021). The conversation : how talking honestly about racism can transform individuals and organizations : a science-based approach. Penguin Business.
- Dasylva, M., Tiendrebéogo, S. M., & Tiendrebeogo Stella. (2022). Survivre au taf : stratégies d’autodéfense pour personnes minorisées. Daronnes.
- Slaouti, O., & Le Cour Grandmaison, O. (2020). Racismes de France. La Découverte.
- Allouche-Benayoun, J. (2022). L’antisémitisme Contemporain en France : Rémanences Ou émergences ?. Hermann.
- Kendi, I. X. (2019). How to be an antiracist. Bodley Head.
- Williams, J., & Mos-Shogbamimu Shola. (2021). Climate change is racist : race, privilege and the struggle for climate justice. Icon Books Ltd.
Academic publications
In 2023, the Journal of Applied Psychology published a special edition about racism in the workplace.
- Yuval-Davis, N. (2024). Antisemitism is a Form of Racism – or is it? Sociology, 58(4), 779-795. https://doi.org/10.1177/00380385231208691
- Foedit, A. (2023). Politisation des expériences de racisme en France. Les Cahiers de La LCD, 17(2).
- Wang, S., Madrisotti, F.,Yong Li, Y. [et al.] (2022). Déni et (d)énonciation du racisme anti-asiatique au temps de la pandémie de Covid-19. Le cas de la population chinoise en France. Émulations, 42.
For more books and academic articles, you can search Discovery.
Podcasts
- Les racismes (France Inter), in French
- Kiffe ta race, de Rokhaya Diallo et Grace Ly, in French
- Code Switch (NPR), in English
Video
The documentary Noirs en France by Aurélia Perreau is available on France TV (in French).
In 2017, a MOOC about racism and anti-semitisme was produced by Fondation Maison des sciences de l'Homme. This MOOC is now closed, but the videos of the interviews (in French) can be viewed on Canal U.
MOOC
Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and the Black Lives Matter that took off in response, professors Jennifer Ho and Shawn O'Neil from University of Colorado Boulder created a series of MOOCs about anti-racism. You can follow them on Coursera. The ESSEC community can obtain the certification for free, by registering on the K-lab website, following this procedure.
For even more resources about the broader topic of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, check out our highlight!
