A gripping and essential work of global nonfiction, Echoes of Empire unravels one of the most overlooked realities of our time: France's modern colonial paradox. From the vibrant markets of Martinique to the mining fields of New Caledonia, millions of people today live as full French citizens—yet carry the weight of a colonial legacy that never truly ended.

What happens when the empire claims it has ended—yet continues to govern distant territories as integral parts of the Republic? In this masterfully researched and emotionally resonant book, Louis Pivete brings to light the ongoing contradictions at the heart of the French state's presence in the Caribbean, the Pacific, the Indian Ocean, and South America.

Blending historical investigation, cultural reporting, and political analysis, this book is not just about overseas territories—it is about modern empire, inequality, identity, and the silent endurance of colonial structures disguised as integration.

You'll travel across Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Réunion, Mayotte, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, and beyond—territories where French passports, euro banknotes, and universal suffrage coexist with racial hierarchies, economic dependency, and a constant sense of distance from the metropole.

🔍 Key Questions Explored:

Why does France still hold overseas departments across four continents?

How do concepts like liberté and égalité mutate when filtered through the architecture of empire?

What do schoolteachers in Mayotte, miners in New Caledonia, and youth in Réunion really experience as "Frenchness"?

Through first-person narratives, archival documents, and field reportage, Echoes of Empire offers an unflinching examination of how a former empire rebranded itself as a global republic—and why that rebranding remains deeply contested.