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Contemporary French Cultural Studies
Countdown to Victory
Shadow Divers
Calhamer on Diplomacy: The Boardgame "Diplomacy" and Diplomatic History
Hieroglyphics (Teach Yourself Educational S.)
Who Murdered Chaucer?: A Medieval Mystery
The Greek World after Alexander 323-30 BC
European Cinemas, European Societies, 1939-90 (Studies in Film, Television & the Media)
Imperial Eyes: Travel Writing and Transculturation
The Evolution of International Society: A Comparative Historical Analysis
The New Critical Idiom : Sexuality
German National Cinema (National Cinemas Series)
White: Essays on Race and Culture
Aspects of Greek History, 750-323 BC: A Source-based Approach
Imperial Germany 1850-1918
The International Politics of the Asia Pacific: Since 1945 (Politics in Asia S.)
Managing Historic Sites and Buildings: Reconciling Presentation and Preservation (Issues in Heritage Management S.)
Experiencing Rome: Culture, Identity and Power in the Roman Empire
The Bilingualism Reader
New Labour, New Language?
North Uist in History and Legend
The Making of Modern Korea (Asia's Transformations S.)
The Geology of Cornwall
England in the Later Middle Ages
The Age of Discovery, 1400-1600 (Lancaster Pamphlets)

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Contemporary French Cultural Studies

Manufacturer: A Hodder Arnold Publication
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Popular Culture | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

French | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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The Cambridge Companion to Modern French Culture (Cambridge Companions to Culture)
France in the New Century: Portrait of a Changing Society
French Cultural Studies: An Introduction
French Cinema: A Student's Guide
Southern France: An Oxford Archaeological Guide (Oxford Archaeological Guides)

ASIN: 0340740507

Book Description

The study of French culture has long ceased to be centred entirely on literature. Undergraduate French courses now embrace many forms of cultural production and consumption, and students need a broad knowledge of everything from TV shows and popular fiction to debates about national identity and immigrant cultures--and they certainly need to know what's on the Internet. This stimulating book combines a historical and contextual introduction to the unique characteristics of metropolitan France with a survey of its contemporary cultures and subcultures, illustrating the controversial impact of globalization. Written by specialists from inside and outside France, it suggests that there is no longer any single French cultural identity and looks critically at what "Frenchness' and the so-called 'exception francaise' mean today. At the same time, the book offers an up-to-date guide to cultural production in France, covering the media, advertising, intellectuals, sport, and a range of performance-related cultures: theatre, cinema, festivals, and music. An essential resource for students and scholars alike, it contains suggestions for further reading as well as a user's guide to resources, both print and online.

Encyclopedia of Contemporary French Culture (Encyclopedias of Contemporary Culture)

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Encyclopedia of Contemporary French Culture (Encyclopedias of Contemporary Culture)

Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Reference | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Encyclopedias | Reference | Subjects | Books

History | Encyclopedias | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

Book Description

In over 700 alphabetical entries on key aspects of French culture since 1945, this groundbreaking work provides valuable in-depth information on topics which traditional reference works often neglect. Reflecting the growth of cross-disciplinary concerns, the encyclopedia covers fields such as film and media, sports, gender, food and wine, education, literature, technology, politics and linguistic issues. The entries include short biographies of influential figures such as Jacques Brel, Coco Chanel, and Francois Truffaut as well as brief factual pieces, major articles and overviews on subjects across the entire spectrum of contemporary French culture: Abortion, Advertizing, Beur Cinema, Canal Plus, Francophone Press, Gay Activism, Green Politics, L'Equipe, Management Style, North Africa, Paris-Match and an inclusive range of other topics.

Special features include extensive cross-references, a comprehensive index and annotated suggestions for further reading at the end of major articles.

Double Takes: Culture and Gender in French Films and Their American Remakes (Contemporary French Culture and Society)

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Double Takes: Culture and Gender in French Films and Their American Remakes (Contemporary French Culture and Society)
Carolyn A. Durham
Manufacturer: Dartmouth College Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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Encore Hollywood: Remaking French Cinema (Distributed for the British Film Institute)

ASIN: 0874518741

Book Description

During the past decade or more the American remake has increasingly characterized Hollywood's relationship with the French cinema, as films ranging from classics like A Bout de Souffle (Breathless) to contemporary comedies like Trois Hommes et un Couffin (Three Men and a Baby) and La Cage aux Folles (Birdcage) are adapted for US screens.

In this comparative, interdisciplinary study Carolyn Durham shows how the remake phenomenon reveals striking differences not just in film theory but also epitomizes larger issues of competition, political and economic tensions, and social, gender, and aesthetic constructs. Durham establishes the metaphor of Euro Disney, which American investors envisioned as the quintessential transcultural entertainment but many French denounced as "a cultural Chernobyl," and then applies it to a close analysis of the films, showing how significant changes between original and remake further our understanding of national identity in both countries. France's belief in its own cultural superiority, she writes, leads to a perceived duty to "disseminate French culture worldwide in the guise of civilisation itself," an attitude that clashes with Hollywood's filmmaking hegemony and its "openness to new ideas, including the foreign." While the central concern is the meaning of cross-cultural differences, this engaging and incisive book also outlines an ongoing battle between a nation convinced of its aesthetic and cultural patrimony and an American industry driven by its own sense of global destiny.

Awakening Spaces: French Caribbean Popular Songs, Music, and Culture (Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology)

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The Rhythms of French Caribbean Popular Music
A well researched piece of art, enjoyable start to finish!

Awakening Spaces: French Caribbean Popular Songs, Music, and Culture (Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology)
Brenda F. Berrian
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

African Studies | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0226044564

Book Description

The fast-paced zouk of Kassav', the romantic biguine of Malavoi, the jazz of Fal Frett, the ballads of Mona, and reggae of Kali and Pôglo are all part of the burgeoning popular music scene in the French Caribbean. In this lively book, Brenda F. Berrian chronicles the rise of this music, which has captivated the minds and bodies of the Francophone world and elsewhere.

Based on personal interviews and discussions of song texts, Berrian shows how these musicians express their feelings about current and past events, about themselves, their islands, and the French. Through their lyrical themes, these songs create metaphorical "spaces" that evoke narratives of desire, exile, subversion, and Creole identity and experiences. Berrian opens up these spaces to reveal how the artists not only engage their listeners and effect social change, but also empower and identify themselves. She also explores the music as it relates to the art of drumming, and to genres such as African American and Latin jazz and reggae. With Awakening Spaces, Berrian adds fresh insight into the historical struggles and arts of the French Caribbean.

Customer Reviews:

The Rhythms of French Caribbean Popular Music.......2001-02-19

Explore the culture of the French Caribbean while experiencing its popular music is the invitation from Brenda F. Berrian in her seminal text, Awakening Spaces: French Caribbean Popular Songs, Music and Culture. Berrian gives the reader a comprehensive critique of the composers, singers, and production of music on the islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. Berrian combines insightful scholarship with her joyous celebration of the artistry of the music makers. For lovers of this music, Awakening Spaces features all of the major players: the bands of Malavoi, Kassav', Taxikréol, Kwak, and Volt Face; the singers Joselyne Béroard, Patrick Saint Éloi, and Pôglo; the instrumentalists Jean-Paul Soime, Mario Canonge, and Mano Césaire; and versatile artists like Henri Guédon who excels as a composer, percussionist, and painter.

Berrian's book is a treasure trove of personal interviews with musicians and original transcriptions of song lyrics in French Creole and English. Awakening Spaces effectively bridges the past and present in Francophone Caribbean music for all lovers of music-be they exuberant fans of zouk or musicologists.

A well researched piece of art, enjoyable start to finish!.......2000-10-31

Well, when I first received this book in the mail for my review, I looked at the front and then the back cover and the first thing that came to mind is the phrase 'This I've got to see'. Why? Because this book discusses and analyzes in English, music from French West Indies sung primarily in Creole. Those of you who know Creole also know that is a very metaphoric, symbolic language that is sometimes difficult to decipher when you are not from a Creole background. To take the lyrics and deduct valid conclusions about the francophone culture would be no easy task. Well a couple of pages into the book, my qualms were put away, and I discovered a pleasant, vibrant book that covers such a broad range of topics: lyrics, politics, perception, tradition and culture all based on French Caribbean popular songs and music. The author Brenda F. Berrian, has taken the time to go deep into the scene of Martinique's and Guadeloupe's artistry with candid interviews, and lyrical analysis, all wrapped up neatly with her well thought out and researched interpretations and conclusions. The read was an enjoyable flirt with wonderful Creole songs, and to someone who is familiar with the music that is being showcased in the book, the book will be a ten-fold more enjoyable. Brenda's often-comical anecdotes at the beginning of each chapter are also a very nice touch. Over all, I'd recommend this book to those who have been to the French West Indies and have wondered what was being said and why. If you are a fan of Zouk music, Biguine, Ka, French Reggae; you'll especially want to pick this book up! Bravo Brenda on a job well done! I will write a more detailed review for the readers of www.zoukarchive.com. In the meantime definitely pick up this book!

The Abject Object: Avatars of the Phallus in Contemporary French Theory, Literature and Film (Chiasma 17) (Chiasma)

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The Abject Object: Avatars of the Phallus in Contemporary French Theory, Literature and Film (Chiasma 17) (Chiasma)
Keith Reader
Manufacturer: Rodopi
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

History & Criticism | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 9042017295

Product Description

This book addresses representations and constructions of masculinity in crisis in contemporary French culture by way of two important concepts the phallus (largely but not solely in (a) Lacanian sense(s)) and abjection (Kristeva). Scrutiny of these concepts informs readings of a number of texts literary (Bataille, Adamov, Doubrovsky, Houellebecq, Rochefort, Angot) and cinematic (Ferreri, Eustache, Godard, Noé, Bonello) in which the abject phallus is a significant factor. The texts chosen all describe or stage crises of masculinity and mastery in ways that suggest that these supposedly beneficent qualities and the phallus that symbolizes them can often be perceived as burdensome or even detestable. Abjection is a widely-used concept in contemporary cultural studies, but has not hitherto been articulated with the phallus as emblem of male dominance as it is here. The volume will be of interest to those working in the areas of French, gender and film studies. Contents Introduction Chapter One: The Lacanian phallus Chapter Two: Abjection Chapter Three: The abject phallus in fiction: Bataille and Adamov Chapter Four: Abject phalluses, abject penises: Serge Doubrovsky and Michel Houellebecq Chapter Five: Phallic narrative transvestism: Christiane Rochefort and Christine Angot Chapter Six: The abject phallus in cinema: Godard, Ferreri, Eustache, Noé, Bonello Conclusion Bibliography Index

Cool Memories II, 1987-1990 (Post-Contemporary Interventions)

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Cool Memories II, 1987-1990 (Post-Contemporary Interventions)
Jean Baudrillard
Manufacturer: Duke University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

French | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Modern | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Fragments: Cool Memories III, 1990-1995 (Radical Thinkers)
Cool Memories
Cool Memories IV, 1995-2000
Cool Memories V, 2000-2004
Simulacra and Simulation (The Body, In Theory: Histories of Cultural Materialism)

ASIN: 0822317931

Book Description

Jean Baudrillard is widely recognized as one of the most important and provocative writers of our age. Variously termed âFrance’s leading philosopher of postmodernismâ and âa sharp-shooting Lone Ranger of the post-Marxist left,â he might also be called our leading philosopher of seduction or of mass culture. Following his acclaimed America and Cool Memories, this book is the third in a series of personal records in hyperreality. Idiosyncratic, outrageous, and brilliantly original, Baudrillard here casts his net widely and combines autobiographical memories with further reflections on America, the crisis of cultural production, new ideas in fiction/theory, and the âverbal fornicationâ of the postmodern.
In this wide-ranging discussion of events and ideas, Baudrillard moves between poetry and waterfalls, strikes and stealth bombers, Freud and La Cicciolina, shadows and simulacra, deconstruction and the zodiac, Reagan’s smile and Kennedy’s death, the âcurseâ on South America and the future of the West, the last tango of French intellectual life and the exemplary disappearing act of Italian politics. Writing at the site where the philosophic and the poetic merge, he once again offers us commentary in the form of the riveting insight, the short distillation of reality that establishes its truth with the force of recognition.
Cool Memories II, Baudrillard’s latest commentary on the technopresent and future, an installment of his reflections on the reality of contemporary western culture, will entice all readers concerned with postmodernism and the current state of theory.

Contemporary France: Introduction to French Politics and Society (Hodder Arnold Publication)

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Wonderfully readable survey of French political life

Contemporary France: Introduction to French Politics and Society (Hodder Arnold Publication)
David Howarth , and Georgios Varouxakis
Manufacturer: A Hodder Arnold Publication
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Non-US Legal Systems | Perspectives on Law | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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Contemporary British Politics: Fourth Edition
French Cultural Studies: An Introduction
Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong: Why We Love France but Not the French
Contemporary French Cultural Studies
France in the New Century: Portrait of a Changing Society

ASIN: 0340741872

Book Description

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 context that makes for insightful analysis.

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Wonderfully readable survey of French political life.......2003-06-26

Excellent coverage of French politics, policy-making and intellectual life.

Popular Music in Contemporary France: Authenticity, Politics, Debate (Berg French Studies Series)

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Popular Music in Contemporary France: Authenticity, Politics, Debate (Berg French Studies Series)
David L. Looseley
Manufacturer: Berg Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

While music lovers from all over the world have tried to recreate the ambience of French cafeacute;s by playing music from stars such as Piaf, Treacute;net and Chevalier, intellectuals, sociologists and policy makers in France have been embroiled in passionate debate about just what constitutes 'real' French music. In the late 1950s and 1960s a wave of Anglo-American rock 'n' roll and pop hit Europe and disrupted French popular music forever. The cherished sounds of the chanson were sidelined, fragmented or merged with pop styles and instrumentation. From this point on, French music and music culture have been splintered into cultural divides - pop culture vs high culture; mass culture vs 'authentic' popular culture; national culture vs Americanization. This book investigates the exciting and innovative segmentation of the French music scene and the debates it has spawned. From an analysis of the chanson as national myth, to pop, rap, techno and the State, this book is the first full-length study to make sense of the complexity behind the history of French popular music and its relation to 'authentic' cultural identity.

The Rhetoric of Empire: Colonial Discourse in Journalism, Travel Writing, and Imperial Administration (Post-Contemporary Interventions)

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Thoughtful discussion of colonial discourse
a very fine guide....

The Rhetoric of Empire: Colonial Discourse in Journalism, Travel Writing, and Imperial Administration (Post-Contemporary Interventions)
David Spurr
Manufacturer: Duke University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Rhetoric | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

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Imperial Eyes: Studies in Travel Writing and Transculturation
Questions of Travel: Postmodern Discourses of Displacement (Post-Contemporary Interventions)
Ideology (The New Critical Idiom)
Medicine Stories: History, Culture and the Politics of Integrity
The Cambridge Companion to Travel Writing (Cambridge Companions to Literature)

ASIN: 0822313170

Book Description

The white man's burden, darkest Africa, the seduction of the primitive: such phrases were widespread in the language Western empires used to talk about their colonial enterprises. How this language itself served imperial purposes--and how it survives today in writing about the Third World--are the subject of David Spurr's book, a revealing account of the rhetorical strategies that have defined Western thinking about the non-Western world.
Despite historical differences among British, French, and American versions of colonialism, their rhetoric had much in common. The Rhetoric of Empire identifies these shared featuresâimages, figures of speech, and characteristic lines of argumentâand explores them in a wide variety of sources. A former correspondent for the United Press International, the author is equally at home with journalism or critical theory, travel writing or official documents, and his discussion is remarkably comprehensive. Ranging from T. E. Lawrence and Isak Dineson to Hemingway and Naipaul, from Time and the New Yorker to the National Geographic and Le Monde, from journalists such as Didion and Sontag to colonial administrators such as Frederick Lugard and Albert Sarraut, this analysis suggests the degree to which certain rhetorical tactics penetrate the popular as well as official colonial and postcolonial discourse.
Finally, Spurr considers the question: Can the language itselfâand with it, Western forms of interpretation--be freed of the exercise of colonial power? This ambitious book is an answer of sorts. By exposing the rhetoric of empire, Spurr begins to loosen its hold over discourse aboutâand betweenâdifferent cultures.

Customer Reviews:

Thoughtful discussion of colonial discourse.......2007-03-27

David Spurr's book provides an excellent discussion of common themes in colonial discourse - such as the affirmation of the "white man's burden" or the negation of other cultures' intrinsic value - and how they survive to this day - whether intentionally or subconsciously. For those who might believe language in western writing about Africa, Asia and Latin America is - at least nowadays - usually objective and neutral, take a closer look! Excellent thematic treatment of the subject, with lots of interesting and revealing illustrations taken from journalistic and travel writing past and present.

a very fine guide...........2003-09-25

....to how imperialist/colonialist assumptions work their way into our writing and other media. I've been using it as a kind of checklist of assumptions while writing my doctoral dissertation on the history of colonialism in California, and in spite of an occasional smattering of post-colonial terminology I've found it an invaluable check on my own writing as well as a useful sensitizer to how "third world" peoples are portrayed in the news (e.g., photographs of hordes of children and gun-toting parents in portrayals of the Arab world--as opposed to the suits and neckties of America; in the West we invent things, in China they "stumble upon them"; places like Africa and Indonesia are "underdeveloped" and "mysterious" and even empty--implicit invitations to makeovers by industry and big business; and so forth).

Highly recommended for readers with the courage for a straight look at how pernicious the logic of domination remains in "free" societies.

Declining the Stereotype: Ethnicity and Representation in French Cultures (Contemporary French Culture and Society)

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Declining the Stereotype: Ethnicity and Representation in French Cultures (Contemporary French Culture and Society)
Mireille Rosello
Manufacturer: Dartmouth College Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

French | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

A groundbreaking text on multicultural issues in contemporary France.

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