Abstract

Since the 1980s, France has experienced a vigorous revival of interest in its past and cultural heritage. This has been expressed as part of a movement of remembering through museums and festivals as well as via elaborate commemorations, most notably those held to celebrate the bi-centenary of the Revolution in 1989 and can be interpreted as part of a re-examinaton of what it means to be French in the context of ongoing Europeanization. This study brings together scholars from multidisciplinary backgrounds and engages them in debate with professionals from France, who are working in the fields of museology, heritage and cultural production. Addressing subjects such as war and memory, gastronomy and regional identity, maritime culture and urban societies, they throw fresh light on the process by which France has been conceptualized and packaged as a cultural object.

Jeanine Picard is Senior Lecturer in French Studies at the University of the West of England.

Marion Demossier is Lecturer in French Studies at the University of Bath. 

Sarah Blowen is Lecturer in French Studies at the University of the West of England.

"This book is full of interest ..."  · Modern and Contemporary France

"This collection is valuable contribution to work on identity, memory, and culture in contemporary France. Its emphasis is laudably local and marginal and seeks to understand whether a cohesive French identity can survive the current degree of fragmentation ... A must for all students of contemporary French identity."
  · H-France