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Notes on contributors

An American scholar is often struck by the absence of race in France as a category of analysis or the absence of discussions of race in its historical or sociological dimensions. After all, “race” on this side of the Atlantic, for reasons having to do with the peculiar history of the United States, has long been a focus of discussion. The notion of race has shaped scholarly analysis for decades, in history, sociology, and political science. Race also constitutes a category regularly employed by the state, in the census, in electoral districting, and in affirmative action. In France, on the contrary, race hardly seems acknowledged, in spite of both scholarly and governmental preoccupation with racism and immigration.

Notes on contributors

The new millennium brought the loss of the most eminent American historian of modern France. Gordon Wright, emeritus professor of history at Stanford University, died on the 11th of January in his California home.

Notes on contributors

Farmers still count for a lot in France, despite their shrinking numbers. Scarcely four per cent of the workforce now earns a living in agriculture. Yet, every politician knows that the country has a huge stake in farming— France is second only to the United States as an agricultural exporter—and that farmer unions wield clout. Farmers have cultural leverage as well. Rolling fields and rural hamlets still figure prominently in most people’s mental image of what makes France French and its social fabric whole.

With this issue the journal enters exciting new territory. As we announced to readers earlier this year, French Politics and Society now adds Culture to its name to signal our ambition to broaden the multidisciplinary reach of the journal. We encourage anthropologists, sociologists, and historians to see FPCS as a place to present their work to a remarkably diverse readership that spans the globe. We also welcome contributions from specialists exploring connections between French society and cultural expression of all sorts, including film, the visual arts, literature, and popular culture.