French Republic

Edward Berenson is Professor of History and French Studies at New York University. He is the author of The Trial of Madame Caillaux and Heroes of Empire, among other books. Vincent Duclert, France's leading expert on the Dreyfus Affair, is the author of books including L'Affaire Dreyfus and Dreyfus au Panthéon. Christophe Prochasson, one of France's top cultural and political historians, is the author of books including Les années électriques, 1880–1910 and Au nom de la patrie.

[S]ome of the contributions are veritable masterclasses of synthesis. For example, the opening chapters on specific periods—especially those by Julian Jackson on Vichy and Martin Schain on the Fifth Republic—offer up refreshingly short and concentrated summaries of their respective topics. They are models of concision and would be ideal for confused undergraduate students....Herrick Chapman's sparkling chapter on 'The State' manages to raise some crucial questions about the relationship of the French people to their most cherished institution in a handful of pages; Jeremy Jennings deploys his considerable powers of synthesis in his lightning discussions of 'Liberty,' 'Equality' and 'Universalism;' Steven Englund offers a spirited rebuttal of the idea that the French were an anti-Semitic people in the early twentieth-century; and both Alice Conklin and John Bowen offer careful appraisals of 'The Civilizing Mission' and 'The Republic and the Veil' respectively. Again, these would all provide useful introductions for students, and they are a window into the extremely high quality of English-language historical work on France.- Emile Chabal, Oxford University Press Journals (English Historical Review) The French Republic is an invaluable resource for historians of modern France. The thirty-eight essays, written by eminent scholars representing three countries and multiple intellectual traditions and generations, are of an uncommonly high quality. Although some are less tightly focused than others, the vast majority are clearly written, well-conceived, and authoritative, blending synthesis with fresh analysis. Because of the volume's unusual structure, the book ranges more widely than most edited collections and provides a great diversity of pieces that are nonetheless in dialogue with one another.- Susan B. Whitney (Canadian Journal of History) French republicanism is often presented as unitary, centralized, and secular, and the various essays here examine how regional identities, feminism, immigration, and cultural difference have challenged the neo-Jacobin understanding of the 'one and indivisible' nation.... The essays arc brief but thorough, and each is accompanied by a list of suggested further readings, making this work an invaluable resource to students of French history. Summing up: Highly recommended.(Choice) The original [French-language] volume was very much a 'critical dictionary,' with an original scholarly approach, but nonetheless something of the monumentality of many other dictionaries.... This volume—far slimmer, with its forty short essays—develops much further the questioning and critical nature of their approach. It is the more indispensable, indeed, for being lighter, brisker, and more plural in its deliberate attempt to solicit a range of often contradictory perspectives. In making this shift, the project has taken on new dynamism by deliberately setting out to offer a trans-Atlantic regard croisé, with Edward Berenson joining the editorial team and a range of American scholars, many of them among the most eminent in their fields, writing reflections as scholars of France (in some cases) or as scholars of Western social, political or intellectual history more generally.... The effect of this infusion of intellectual and cultural history by American authors is to underline what I think they had always sought to do: to provide a critical discussion of French republics, republicanism and republican culture.- Julian Wright (H-France Review)

• Introduction: Transatlantic Histories of FranceEdward Berenson and Vincent Duclert, translated by Arthur GoldhammerPart I: Time and History1. The EnlightenmentJohnson Kent Wright2. The First RepublicPatrice Gueniffey, translated by Arthur Goldhammer3. The Second RepublicEdward Berenson4. The Republicans of the Second EmpireSudhir Hazareesingh, translated by Arthur Goldhammer5. The Third RepublicPhilip Nord6. War and the RepublicStéphane Audoin-Rouzeau, translated by Arthur Goldhammer7. The Republic and VichyJulian Jackson, translated by Arthur Goldhammer8. The Fourth RepublicRosemary Wakeman9. The Fifth RepublicMartin SchainPart II. Principles and Values10. LibertyJeremy Jennings11. EqualityJeremy Jennings12. FraternityAnne-Claude Ambroise-Rendu, translated by Arthur Goldhammer13. DemocracyPatrice Gueniffey, translated by Arthur Goldhammer14. LaicityJean Baubérot, translated by Arthur Goldhammer15. CitizenshipCécile Laborde, translated by Arthur Goldhammer16. UniversalismJeremy Jennings17. The Republic and JusticePaul Jankowski18. The StateHerrick Chapman19. The Civilizing MissionAlice L. Conklin20. ParitéJoan Wallach Scott21. The PressDominique Kalifa, translated by Renée Champion and Edward Berenson22. Times of Exile and ImmigrationLloyd Kramer23. The USA, Sister RepublicFrançois Weil, translated by Arthur Goldhammer24. The LocalStéphane GersonPart III. Dilemmas and Debates25. The Republic and the IndigènesEmmanuelle Saada, translated by Renée Champion and Edward Berenson26. ImmigrationMary Dewhurst Lewis27. The Immigration History MuseumNancy L. Green28. Decolonization and the RepublicTodd Shepard29. The SuburbsFrédéric Viguier30. The Republic and the VeilJohn R. Bowen31. Antisemitism, Judeophobia, and the RepublicSteven Englund32. Feminism and the RepublicKaren Offen33. Gender and the RepublicBonnie G. Smith34. Order and Disorder in the FamilyÉric Fassin35. Children and the StateIvan Jablonka36. CommemorationDaniel J. Sherman37. Intellectuals and the RepublicJerrold Seigel38. Cultural PolicyHerman LebovicsConclusionsAmerican Perspectives on the French RepublicEdward BerensonBeyond the "Republican Model"Vincent Duclert, translated by Arthur GoldhammerContributors