Undergrad explores the lives of mixed-race children in the Rhineland after World War I

How many people can say they knew what they wanted to do for life at 10 years old? For Arielle Moreau, that revelation came by way of a World War I documentary.

"I knew I was going to be a history major since I was in elementary school; my dad's a high school history teacher, which is also what I plan to go into," Moreau said. "As a little kid, I was just obsessed with history. Fifth-grade Arielle would watch documentaries when I would stay home alone. I would go through different documentaries and talk my parents' and friends' ears off all the time."

Moreau is technically a senior undergraduate student majoring in history at Binghamton University, though her story is a bit sped up compared to most; she's also pursuing minors in German and theater. Instead of four years, she'll soon complete what she deems her "3+1" program; with enough credits to graduate a year early, she will also earn her master's degree concurrently through Binghamton's 4+1 program.

Moreau's story starts at Bard High School Early College Queens. Growing up in the city and having access to this advanced program ultimately resulted in earning 63 credits, which SUNY schools accept through transfer. For her step into academia, she remembers quickly realizing that "Binghamton is at the top of the SUNYs," a place where she could both earn a quality education and save on costs. She soon decided to attend.

From there, Moreau's goals aligned quickly.

"I had started teaching myself German online six months before I started here, using Duolingo. I knew that I wanted to take some German classes because I thought that would be fun," Moreau said. "For theater, I originally wanted to take a few dance classes to get some exercise on my schedule; I liked the idea of getting credit instead of just having to block out the time to go to the gym. I took two dance classes and then went into stage management."

Her interest in Germany extends beyond the classroom as well. In the summer of 2023, she also lived in Germany as a student of the language, and would one day like to go back - either to teach or continue her studies. She continues to improve her speaking skills by working with her advisor Sean Dunwoody, an associate professor of history.

Meanwhile, she is using her time abroad and in the 4+1 program to complete research on a topic that especially interests her: race and ethnicity, and how it is perceived differently across the world.

"I've always been interested in the ways that different societies conceive of ethnicity and race. Earlier on, I learned mostly about that context in the United States, but I've been drawn to other cultures and parts of the world that have somewhat similar but also different racial dynamics," Moreau said. "I think a lot of Americans see all of race through an American perspective, which doesn't allow you to understand the ways that it functions differently in societies."

Her thesis project will reflect this interest. It centers around the so-called "Rhineland bastards," a set of mixed-race Rhenish children born after WWI during the French occupation of the Rhineland. At that time, a percentage of the French troops were from colonies such as Morocco, Algeria, Senegal and French Indochina.

Some of those troops developed relationships - mostly consensual, despite German politicians stating otherwise - with German-born women. Add in the fact that most of these women weren't allowed to marry due to social mores and anti-miscegenation laws - and were thus single mothers relying on government assistance - they were even more targeted. Catholics weren't happy with the unwed mothers and there was rising political sentiment that they were a burden on the welfare system, "hybridizing" the German race.

"There was a lot of German anger at being occupied by people of color. Especially because Germany, through the war, lost its colonies," Moreau said. "France was trying to humiliate Germany to the greatest degree that it could and race was one of those major factors. There was an extensive campaign against these colonial troops; it was a controversy around the world."

The smear campaign, nicknamed "The Black Horror on the Rhineland," was based on a false premise that assaults against German women increased. Though France did eventually end the occupation, the damage had been done. The rumors spread across the world and the children of these unions became a touchstone of racist ideology in Germany, from both the right and parts of the left.

"There were only a few hundred, but they made a major impact on German political developments," Moreau said. "Unfortunately, later, the children were discriminated against heavily under the Nazi regime. Most of them were forcibly sterilized; you can't find descendants - or if there are, very, very small numbers remain."

Despite that fact, Moreau says there is a lot to learn. She is fascinated by the topic and looks forward to conducting more research on their lives and their impact on the history of Germany, as well as American sentiments regarding the tragic story.

"I try to look at most things in life as getting experience and learning something," Moreau said. "If something's unpleasant, you probably learn something from it."

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