Empire and Culture Now: Francophone Perspectives On Globalization
International Colloquium
Humanities Institute of Ireland University College Dublin, 15-16 September 2006
Twelve years after the publication of Edward Said's Culture and Imperialism, and as most disciplines in the humanities struggle to conceptualise the impact on culture of what Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri have characterised as the centreless and unbounded contemporary empire of the market, how is Francophone thought contributing both to the workings of empire and to its critique? In diplomatic and geopolitical terms, France has often positioned itself as the antagonist of the post-Cold War global hegemony of the United States. Within this frame, European culture is opposed to American empire, historical perspective to short-term gain, universal values to market pressures, ethics to Realpolitik. But such a perspective arguably serves to conceal the post-imperial and post-colonial agenda of France itself, a former global superpower that not only retains a considerable overseas presence in regions such as the Caribbean and Polynesia but also seeks to maintain a wide sphere of influence among formerly colonized nations. In this sense, France may be seen as both the opponent and proponent of empire. The aim of this conference is to explore this paradox through a double perspective: an investigation of the cultural antagonism between France and the United States and a discussion of the relationships between France and the wider Francophone world of former colonies and overseas territories. At the centre of both approaches is the question of the articulation of culture and empire in metropolitan French culture and the way that France defines itself contrastively in relation to the outside world.
Speakers to include:
Nicholas Brown, University of Illinois
Charles Forsdick, University of Liverpool
Nicholas Harrison, University College London
Françoise Lionnet, University of California (Los Angeles)
Bill Marshall, University of Glasgow
Mireille Rosello, Northwestern University
Michael Syrotinski, University of Aberdeen
Françoise Vergès, University of London (Goldsmiths College)
For further information, please contact:
Dr Mary Gallagher
French and Francophone Studies
School of Languages, Literatures and Film
University College Dublin
Belfield
Dublin 4
Ireland
mary.gallagher@ucd.ie
Dr Douglas Smith
French and Francophone Studies
School of Languages, Literatures and Film
University College Dublin
Belfield
Dublin 4
Ireland
douglas.smith@ucd.ie