At least since the French Revolution, France has the peculair distinction of simultaneously fascinating, charming and exasperating its neighbours and foreign observers. Contemporary France provides an essential introduction for students of French politics and society, exploring contemporary developments while placing them in a deeper historical, intellectual, cultural and social context that makes for insightful analysis. Thus, chapters on France's economic policy and welfare state, its foreign and European policies and its political movements and recent institutional developments are informed by an analysis of the country's unique political and institutional traditions, distinct forms of nationalism and citizenship, dynamic intellectual life and recent social trends. Summaries of key political, economic and social movements and events are displayed as exhibits.

This book provides an accessible interdisciplinary introduction to contemporary France providing coverage of culture, society, economy, and politics set in a historical and global context. A central theme is the relationship between popular images of France and the often contradictory realities of French society as it faces up the challenges of the 21st century.

At least since the French Revolution, France has the peculair distinction of simultaneously fascinating, charming and exasperating its neighbours and foreign observers. Contemporary France provides an essential introduction for students of French politics and society, exploring contemporary developments while placing them in a deeper historical, intellectual, cultural and social context that makes for insightful analysis. Thus, chapters on France's economic policy and welfare state, its foreign and European policies and its political movements and recent institutional developments are informed by an analysis of the country's unique political and institutional traditions, distinct forms of nationalism and citizenship, dynamic intellectual life and recent social trends. Summaries of key political, economic and social movements and events are displayed as exhibits.

Many recent studies of French politics have tended to concentrate on the French political system in isolation. Contemporary France aims to set the working of the French political system into its historical, social and economic context. The first section gives a succinct description of the main developments since 1944 in all major contexts - economy, society, domestic politics and foreign relations. The authors then analyse the economic, social and cultural structures of present-day France, and discuss the institutional framework of decision-making and the major political forces involved in it. There are also chapters on French external and defence policy and on the education system, all of which are set in the context of the political system as a whole. Aimed primarily at students of European history and politics or of French society and culture, the book assumes little knowledge in the social sciences and will be readily accessible to beginners in this field.

This is the first study devoted to the highly significant roles played by France and Britain in the formulation of European audiovisual policy, providing a truly comparative analysis of the contemporary audiovisual scene in the two countries.

Many recent studies of French politics have tended to concentrate on the French political system in isolation. Contemporary France aims to set the working of the French political system into its historical, social and economic context. The first section gives a succinct description of the main developments since 1944 in all major contexts - economy, society, domestic politics and foreign relations. The authors then analyse the economic, social and cultural structures of present-day France, and discuss the institutional framework of decision-making and the major political forces involved in it. There are also chapters on French external and defence policy and on the education system, all of which are set in the context of the political system as a whole. Aimed primarily at students of European history and politics or of French society and culture, the book assumes little knowledge in the social sciences and will be readily accessible to beginners in this field.

The first comprehensive survey of its kind in English, this book examines the experience of immigration as represented by authors who moved to France from the Caribbean, the Maghreb, sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia after World War II. Essays by expert contributors address the literary productions of different ethnic groups while taking into account generational differences and the effects of class and gender. The focus on immigration, a subject which has moved to the center of many sensitive social and political debates, raises questions related to cultural hybridity, identity politics, border writing, and the status of minority literature within the traditional literary canon, all of which constitute vital areas of research in literary, cultural, and historical studies today. Included are broad socio-historical chapters on general topics related to immigration, along with chapters providing detailed readings of specific texts and authors. A key objective of the book is to consider the ways in which literary texts by authors of immigrant origin explore what it means to be French, and how these works shape debates about French national and cultural identity. The contributors discuss such issues as cultural hybridity, linguistic identity, and the textualization and theorization of otherness.

"Immigration is one of the most significant and pressing issues in contemporary France. It has stirred up controversies over concepts such as the 'ghetto' and the 'underclass'; it has erupted in flashpoints such as the Islamic headscarf affair, the Gulf War and the reform of French nationality laws, and it has become central to political debate with the rise of Jean-Marie Le Pen's extreme right-wing Front National." "This is the first comprehensive survey to be published in English covering developments in this field during the last twenty years. Spanning politics and economics, social structures and cultural practices, this authoritative study will be of keen interest to undergraduates and researchers in French studies, migration studies and ethnic relations, and a wide range of social science disciplines."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Derderian looks at the large North African population in France and their attempts for recognition in a country which has long denied its rich immigration past and present. He considers how the North African community has developed from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, especially in their political and cultural initiatives. Derderian examines the radio station Radio Beur and the television show La Famille Ramdam , as well as political initiatives and the role of ethnic minorities in defining prominent French sites of memory such as the working-class suburbs or banlieues and the Algerian War. Based largely on oral history, Derderian draws from a wealth of interviews with North African artists and creators as well as various French cultural actors.