ABSTRACT
When the Taubira Law was unanimously passed by the French parliament in May 2001, it was noted well beyond France's borders. The world's first law to declare the slave trade and slavery “crimes against humanity,” it also included an official commitment to enhance the importance of the history of slavery in French schools and in academic research. Moreover, the Law created a committee responsible for choosing a date for the nation to commemorate slavery each year. This official commemoration was later set to May 10, in reference to the day when the Taubira Law was passed. Passage of the law was viewed as a decision that eloquently highlighted France's evolving collective understanding of slavery. However, the text of the Taubira Law presents a flattering view of France's regime of memory, and thus there is a risk that the winding and ambiguous processes that led to this important step will be obscured, or simply forgotten.
