I have a love-hate relationship with French colorblindness. On one hand, not taking racial statistics creates challenges in being able to fight discrimination and identify social problems. (Who are we discriminating against? It's racism...but you can't talk about their race. We don't have those.) In France, refusing to talk about race often means ignoring the problems.
On the other hand, Americans can get bogged down with identity politics. In conversations, we tailor what we say to our audience, taking into account things like race, afraid of being un-PC and offending someone. In academics, Black people study Black people, Asian Americans study Asian Americans, and so forth for every axe of identity. Studying a group that you do not belong to is not common. It has to do with credibility, authenticity, legitimacy, and personal interest.
White people in France studying minorities with a postcolonial lens is *not* the solution, but have we gone too far in the other extreme?
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