French Way - How France Embraced and Rejected American Values and Power

How the French have used American culture to define a unique modern identity

There are over 1,000 McDonald's on French soil. Two Disney theme parks have opened near Paris in the last two decades. And American-inspired vocabulary such as "le weekend" has been absorbed into the French language. But as former French president Jacques Chirac put it: "The U.S. finds France unbearably pretentious. And we find the U.S. unbearably hegemonic." Are the French fascinated or threatened by America? They Americanize yet are notorious for expressions of anti-Americanism. From McDonald's and Coca-Cola to free markets and foreign policy, this book looks closely at the conflicts and contradictions of France's relationship to American politics and culture. Richard Kuisel shows how the French have used America as both yardstick and foil to measure their own distinct national identity. They ask: how can we be modern like the Americans without becoming like them?

France has charted its own path: it has welcomed America's products but rejected American policies; assailed America's "jungle capitalism" while liberalizing its own economy; attacked "Reaganomics'" while defending French social security; and protected French cinema, television, food, and language even while ingesting American pop culture. Kuisel examines France's role as an independent ally of the United States-in the reunification of Germany and in military involvement in the Persian Gulf and Bosnia-but he also considers the country's failures in influencing the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations. Whether investigating France's successful information technology sector or its spurning of American expertise during the AIDS epidemic, Kuisel asks if this insistence on a French way represents a growing distance between Europe and the United States or a reaction to American globalization.

Exploring cultural trends, values, public opinion, and political reality, The French Way delves into the complex relationship between two modern nations.

List of contents

List of Illustrations ix Preface xi Acknowledgments xvii A Note on Anti-Americanism xix Chapter 1: America a la Mode: The 1980s 1 Chapter 2: Anti-Americanism in Retreat: Jack Lang, Cultural Imperialism, and the Anti-Anti-Americans 45 Chapter 3: Reverie and Rivalry: Mitterrand and Reagan-Bush 99 Chapter 4: The Adventures of Mickey Mouse, Big Mac, and Coke in the Land of the Gauls 151 Chapter 5: T aming the Hyperpower: The 1990s 209 Chapter 6: The French Way: Economy, Society, and Culture in the 1990s 271 Chapter 7: The Paradox of the Fin de Siecle: Anti-Americanism and Americanization 329 Reflections 377 Notes 391 Index 473

About the author

Richard F. Kuisel

Summary

How the French have used American culture to define a unique modern identity

There are over 1,000 McDonald's on French soil. Two Disney theme parks have opened near Paris in the last two decades. And American-inspired vocabulary such as "le weekend" has been absorbed into the French language. But as former French president Jacques Chirac put it: "The U.S. finds France unbearably pretentious. And we find the U.S. unbearably hegemonic." Are the French fascinated or threatened by America? They Americanize yet are notorious for expressions of anti-Americanism. From McDonald's and Coca-Cola to free markets and foreign policy, this book looks closely at the conflicts and contradictions of France's relationship to American politics and culture. Richard Kuisel shows how the French have used America as both yardstick and foil to measure their own distinct national identity. They ask: how can we be modern like the Americans without becoming like them?

France has charted its own path: it has welcomed America's products but rejected American policies; assailed America's "jungle capitalism" while liberalizing its own economy; attacked "Reaganomics'" while defending French social security; and protected French cinema, television, food, and language even while ingesting American pop culture. Kuisel examines France's role as an independent ally of the United States—in the reunification of Germany and in military involvement in the Persian Gulf and Bosnia—but he also considers the country's failures in influencing the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations. Whether investigating France's successful information technology sector or its spurning of American expertise during the AIDS epidemic, Kuisel asks if this insistence on a French way represents a growing distance between Europe and the United States or a reaction to American globalization.

Exploring cultural trends, values, public opinion, and political reality, The French Way delves into the complex relationship between two modern nations.

Additional text

"Richard Kuisel clearly belongs to the most prominent American authors who are responsible for our current state of historical knowledge. . . . Kuisel's book, which is conceptually challenging, methodologically sound, and empirically reliable, has much to offer."---Helke Rausch, H-France Forum

Product details

• Authors: Richard Kuisel, Richard F. Kuisel
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.12.2013
• EAN: 9780691161983
• ISBN: 978-0-691-16198-3
• No. of pages: 512
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Regional and national histories; USA, Popular Culture, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Popular Culture, France, United States of America, USA