The Wokisme Controversy - The Americanization of Debates on Identity, Race, and Gender in France

Focusing on French controversies about wokisme -a literal translation of the American word wokeism -this book reflects on France''s ongoing transformation into a multicultural society and the divisions this change has caused. In the wake of the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and following the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements, American debates on race, gender, and equity reverberated throughout France. While some welcomed progressive ideas on identity, gender, and race, others perceived them as the expression of a new form of American cultural imperialism incompatible with France''s universal model, which rejects distinctions among citizens based on culture, race, religion, ethnicity, sex, or gender. Given that wokisme is seen by many in France as a facet of American soft power, this book delves into French ambivalence toward Americanization. Combining analysis of political, academic, and journalistic discourse with international relations approaches, it unpacks the topic of French anti-Americanism, especially in the context of recent debates on U.S.-style woke ideology, intersectionality, and cancel culture.

List of contents

Introduction: The Wokisme Controversy
1. Wokisme and the Fractures of French Society
2. French Culture Wars: Essays and Controversies
3. Wokisme and France-U.S. Relations in the Early Twenty-First Century
4. Wokisme, Americanization, and Anti-Americanism in Contemporary France
5. American Views on the French Wokisme Controversy
Conclusion: Wokisme and the Future of France
Notes
Bibliography
Index

About the author

Hervé-Thomas Campangne is Professor of French Studies at the University of Maryland, USA.

Product details

• Authors: Herve-Thomas Campangne, Hervé-Thomas Campangne
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 12.06.2025
• EAN: 9798765132395
• ISBN: 9798765132395
• No. of pages: 224
• Dimensions: 158 mm x 232 mm x 18 mm
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; Globalization, France, Political Correctness, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Globalization, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Comparative Politics, Comparative Politics, Far-left political ideologies and movements, Far-right political ideologies and movements, Racism and racial discrimination / Anti-racism