Teaching Social and Environmental Justice Through the Bande Dessinée

Abstract

This article provides concrete strategies for integrating discussions of colonialism and environmental justice in intermediate and advanced French language classes. It focuses on the graphic novel Tropiques toxiques (2020) by Franco-Guadeloupean author Jessica Oublié, which investigates the origins and ongoing impacts of the chlordecone pesticide scandal in Guadeloupe and Martinique using a first-person, documentary-style narrative. Through activities analyzing the interplay between text and image, along with addressing the historical context, this work can help students make connections between environmental and social justice issues faced by cultural groups across national boundaries while honing their linguistic skills and mastery of grammatical structures.