Objects of Dispute

Planning, Discourse, and State Power in Post-War France

in French Politics, Culture & Society
Author:
Edward Welch University of Aberdeen edward.welch@abdn.ac.uk

Search for other papers by Edward Welch in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
Restricted access

Abstract

During the presidency of Charles de Gaulle (1958–1969), state-led spatial planning transformed the Paris region. The aim of the Schéma directeur d’aménagement et d’urbanisme de la région de Paris (1965) was to improve urban life through modernization; but its scale and ambition meant that it came to represent the hubris of state power. This article examines the role of discourse and narrative in state planning. It explores the role of planning discourses in the production of space, as well as stories told about planning by the planners and those who live with their actions. It investigates perceptions of power in post-war France, placing the Gaullist view of the state as a force for good in the context of contemporary critiques of state power. Addressing the relationship between power, resistance, and critique, it sees the environments produced by spatial planning as complex objects of dispute, enmeshed in conflicting hopes and visions of the future.

Contributor Notes

Edward Welch is Carnegie Professor of French at the University of Aberdeen. His research interests include modernization, space, and change in post-war France, and their representation in literary and visual culture. He has written on the work of Roland Barthes, Sophie Calle, Raymond Depardon, and Annie Ernaux among others. François Mauriac: The Making of an Intellectual was published in 2006, and Contesting Views: The Visual Economy of France and Algeria, co-authored with Joseph McGonagle, was published in 2013. E-mail: edward.welch@abdn.ac.uk

  • Collapse
  • Expand

Metrics

All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 2591 1518 132
Full Text Views 66 13 0
PDF Downloads 79 19 5