Between Totem and Taboo picks its way judiciously through a minefield of prejudice, myth and stereotypes. It is the first book to explore the literary representation by authors black and white, male and female, of interracial relations between France and her former territories in West Africa through the special nexus of the white woman and the black man Presented as a text-based chronological exploration of the relationship from 1740 to the present day, it reveals how racism distorted such relations for a quarter of a millennium. It will fascinate anyone seriously interested in Black studies, Women's studies and Postcolonial studies, who will find in it not only many unknown or unconsidered texts but a new angle of approach to their research. All quotations are in French and English.