The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Introduction

Introduction
Introduction
The introduction to this special number of French Cultural Studies presents the key themes in the articles it contains, focusing on writers, intellectuals and the colonial experience. It sets them in the context of a reappraisal of Empire in both France and Britain, expressed in the recent French law obliging schools to recognise the benefits of the French colonial enterprise, and in related developments in Britain. French writers and intellectuals of the colonial period were concerned with issues of the benefits of civilisation, the universal spread of republican humanism, and the practical and theoretical implications of inter-imperial rivalries, especially with Britain. When they criticised colonial practice, it was in the name of the same values of civilisation that underlay the ‘civilising mission’ of colonialism. In a modulated discourse, these issues continue to inform the way governments and intellectuals view the mission of leading industrial countries to bring the benefits of Western values to the rest of the world. An understanding of how earlier generations of French writers thought about the colonial experience may be relevant to a reflection on similar current concerns.
colonies, empire, France, history, humanism, intellectuals, universalism, writers
0957-1558
131-135
Kelly, Michael
dcc9dfa0-fb81-40b3-b87b-a16e4ba0c430
Kelly, Michael
dcc9dfa0-fb81-40b3-b87b-a16e4ba0c430

Kelly, Michael (2006) Introduction. French Cultural Studies, 17 (2), 131-135. (doi:10.1177/0957155806064437).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The introduction to this special number of French Cultural Studies presents the key themes in the articles it contains, focusing on writers, intellectuals and the colonial experience. It sets them in the context of a reappraisal of Empire in both France and Britain, expressed in the recent French law obliging schools to recognise the benefits of the French colonial enterprise, and in related developments in Britain. French writers and intellectuals of the colonial period were concerned with issues of the benefits of civilisation, the universal spread of republican humanism, and the practical and theoretical implications of inter-imperial rivalries, especially with Britain. When they criticised colonial practice, it was in the name of the same values of civilisation that underlay the ‘civilising mission’ of colonialism. In a modulated discourse, these issues continue to inform the way governments and intellectuals view the mission of leading industrial countries to bring the benefits of Western values to the rest of the world. An understanding of how earlier generations of French writers thought about the colonial experience may be relevant to a reflection on similar current concerns.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: 2006
Keywords: colonies, empire, France, history, humanism, intellectuals, universalism, writers

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 37898
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/37898
ISSN: 0957-1558
PURE UUID: b512f65a-a971-4796-9274-938449886586
ORCID for Michael Kelly: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-7955-3860

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 26 May 2006
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 02:36

Export record

Altmetrics

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×