France since the 1970s History, Politics and Memory in an Age of Uncertainty

Until the mid-20th century, France saw itself as a great power with universalist aspirations and global ambitions. But the Second World War and decolonisation irrevocably changed France's place in the world. Despite attempts to restore the country's 'grandeur' in the 1960s, the French have been forced to reconcile themselves to their modest place at the heart of a changing Europe. What impact has this had on political life? How have the French reimagined the revolutionary, republican and reactionary ideologies that have been so crucial to their history? How has the arrival of hundreds of thousands of postcolonial migrants transformed politics? These are just some of the questions at the heart of France since the 1970s. With contributions from leading specialists on topics as varied as the legacy of empire and neo-liberalism, it explores how the French have dealt with the pervasive sense of uncertainty that has become a defining feature of contemporary European politics.

Emile Chabal is Lecturer in Modern European History in the Faculty of History and Balliol College at University of Oxford, UK.

(This contents will be updated with three additional chapters to come)
Introduction: French Politics in an Age of Uncertainty - Emile Chabal (University of Oxford, UK)Part I - French Politics: Beyond Right and Left?1. François Furet and the 'Passions': A Moral History of the Left - Christophe Prochasson (l'École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, France)2. Challenging Right and Left: Marine Le Pen and the 'New' Front National - Jim Shields (Aston University, UK)3. The Left, the Right, Populism and the People - Nick Hewlett (University of Warwick, UK)Part II - The Politics of Postcolonialism in Contemporary France4. Who Killed Gauchisme? Revolutionaries in Decline and the Politics of Immigration, 1976-1983 - Daniel Gordon (Edge Hill University, UK)5. The Cost of Decolonisation: Compensating the Pieds-Noirs - Yann Scioldo-Zurcher (Université de Poitiers, France)6. Imperial Nostalgia, Colonial Nostalgia: Differences of Theory, Similarities of Practice? - Patricia Lorcin (University of Minnesota, USA)Part III - After Anti-Totalitarianism? New Directions in French Intellectual History7. The French Path to Neoliberalism - Michael Behrent (Appalachian State University, USA)8. Republicanism and the Critique of Human Rights - Camille Robcis (Cornell University, USA)9. Religious Dress and State Paternalism - Cécile Laborde (University College London, UK)Conclusion: Is France Still Relevant? - Sudhir Hazareesingh (University of Oxford, UK)BibliographyIndex