Le regard de l’étranger: What French cultural studies brings to French cultural history

Abstract

French cultural studies cast a stranger’s gaze over French cultural history. This article analyses the distinctive character of French cultural studies through the work of the journal French Cultural Studies over 25 years. It sets this work in the context of the academic community it serves and the finalities it pursues, in order to identify the distinctive contributions it has made to the study of French cultural history. It particularly suggests that French Cultural Studies has been able to work across disciplinary boundaries that are less easy to cross in the academic communities in France. This has enabled it to use a range of perspectives and methodologies that enable it to cast fresh light on many areas of French culture and understand them in their broader social context. It also suggests that the self-reflexive stranger’s gaze may offer a paradigm for research in cultural history and in the humanities more generally.