Contemporary France: An Introduction to

Contemporary France is a handbook covering most of the major features of French politics and society. The book is up-to-date, exploring the latest political and social developments and trends while at the same time placing them in a deeper historical, intellectual, cultural and social contextthat makes for insightful analysis.

Map of the regions of (metropolitan) France

viii

Preface

ix

List of abbreviations

xii

Continuity and change: the ever-lasting past

1

(23)

The French and their past

2

(2)

French republicanism

4

(9)

Socialism

13

(3)

Communism

16

(1)

Gaullism

17

(1)

Liberalism

18

(6)

French society today

24

(11)

Versions of malaise: from la fracture sociale to l'insecurite

24

(2)

From planning and the trente glorieuses to the state's impotence

26

(1)

A society in prolonged crisis?

27

(1)

Changing patterns of employment and unemployment, and the new kinds of poverty

28

(1)

Foreigners, immigrants and scapegoats

29

(1)

Geographical disparities in crime and insecurity

30

(1)

Elitism, grandes ecoles, enarchie and the Paris-provinces divide

30

(1)

Women, gender equality and feminism

31

(1)

Changing family patterns and sexual mores

31

(1)

AIDS in France

32

(1)

Sports, politics and national identity

33

(2)

The surprisingly stable Fifth Republic

35

(35)

De Gaulle, the founder

36

(1)

The political conditions of stability

37

(2)

The dual (bicephalous) political executive

39

(5)

The three periods of cohabitation

44

(1)

The weak parliament

45

(4)

Reforming the `all-powerful' administration?

49

(3)

The enarques: the French elite

52

(6)

Local government: the state of decentralisation 20 years on

58

(5)

The new importance of French regions

63

(2)

Corsica: a new special status for the Ile de Beaute

65

(1)

The DOM-TOMs: les confettis de I'empire

66

(1)

The Fifth Estate in France: the French media

67

(2)

Conclusion

69

(1)

Political forces and representation

70

(32)

Political parties

70

(10)

The 2002 presidential and legislative elections

80

(7)

Jacques Chirac: a controversial political survivor

87

(2)

Organised interests

89

(3)

New social movements

92

(2)

Another May '68?

94

(1)

Representation issues: fewer white males please

95

(5)

Conclusion

100

(2)

Citizenship, nationalism and national identity

102

(21)

The complexities of French nationalism: nationalisme ouvert and nationalisme ferme?

102

(2)

`Republican nationalism'

104

(3)

`Nationalism of the right'

107

(2)

The Union sacree and the merger of the two nationalisms

109

(1)

Revolution nationale, resistance and de Gaulle's nationalism

110

(5)

Citizenship, nationality and multiculturalism

115

(3)

Immigration

118

(4)

`Integration' of immigrants

122

(1)

Intellectual life

123

(18)

The emergence and roles of the intellectuels

124

(3)

1945--68: the intellectuel engage and the compagnon de route

127

(2)

The dominance of Marxism, existentialo-Marxism and Sovietophilia

129

(1)

The new fad: tiersmondisme

130

(1)

Dissenting voices

130

(4)

New challenges: Foucault and the `specific intellectual'

134

(1)

Bourdieu: l'intellectuel dominant?

134

(2)

Les annees Debat and the declaration of war on Sartre's conception of the intellectual

136

(1)

Mediocratie and the intellectuel mediatique

137

(1)

The institutional and geographical framework of intellectual life: revues, ecoles, publishing and the Parisian Rive Gauche

138

(3)

Education, youth and popular culture

141

(14)

The French education system

141

(2)

Catholic schools: the lingering private/public divide

143

(1)

Universities

144

(1)

Grandes ecoles: la creme de la creme

145

(1)

What are the social attitudes of French youth today?

146

(4)

Recent developments in French pop culture

150

(1)

Yamakasi: the new `religion' of the banlieues

151

(2)

Film

153

(2)

French economic and social policy in an era of growing European and international constraints

155

(33)

The economic ideology behind French state strategies

157

(6)

EMU and French state reform

163

(16)

French social security: under great pressure

179

(2)

The inspecteurs des finances: an economic policy-making elite

181

(7)

France, Europe and the world

188

(21)

Major themes of French foreign and defence policy from 1944 to the present

188

(6)

The French approach to European integration

194

(3)

The European policy of the Jospin government (1997--2002): a new twist to old French games

197

(3)

Strains in the Franco-German axis: the rise of German unilateralism

200

(3)

The challenge of the future

203

(2)

Reinforcing European security and defence cooperation

205

(2)

Conclusion

207

(2)

Conclusion: Vive la France quand meme!

209

(3)

References and further reading

212

(15)

Index

227

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Contemporary France: An Introduction to French Politics and Society

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials