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 | The French Way: |
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. Richard F. Kuisel holds a joint appointment at the BMW Center for German and European Studies and in the History Department at Georgetown University. His books include Seducing the French: The Dilemma of Americanization "Richard Kuisel once again blazes a clear path through the thickets of emotion and invective that tangle French-American relations. Why, he asks, did good relations in the 1980s worsen in the 1990s under Chirac-Clinton? Examining the United States' emergence from the Cold War as an assertive hyperpower and the French government's opposition to American companies and policies, Kuisel presents a balanced view of French-American relations in which neither side is entirely blameless."--Robert O. Paxton, Mellon Professor Emeritus of Social Science, Columbia University "Richard Kuisel has spent a lifetime explaining 'the French way' with superb scholarship, style, and compelling humor. This is the culmination of his work: an outstanding and deeply felt contribution to our comprehension of America's complex relations with one of our most demanding, yet least dispensable allies."--Simon Serfaty, Old Dominion University "With elegant and sleek prose, Kuisel tells the forgotten history of France's perceptions of the United States in the 1980s and 1990s. He vividly paints the portrait of a France actively seeking to adopt American culture and techniques, while at the same time trying to adapt, resist, and compete with the overpowering ally. A pleasure to read."--Sophie Meunier, Princeton University "No one knows better the ins and outs of Franco-American relations in the twentieth century than Kuisel. In this terrific and persuasive book, he analyzes a broad range of materials--public opinion polls, intellectual argument, business practices, and foreign-policy debate--handling them all with lucidity, a fine sense of nuance, and scrupulous good judgment."--Philip Nord, author of France's New Deal List of Illustrations ix Subject Areas: | |||||||
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