Logo

Tromelin

How an 18th-Century Shipwreck Changed France’s Conversation About Race

The Island of the Forgotten Enslaved

The story of the enslaved Malagasy abandoned by French sailors following the wreck of L’Utile reveals the deep-seated racism prevalent in 18th-century French society. The subsequent outcry, both from the public and from prominent intellectuals, marked a turning point in views of slavery in France.