40 Years of Contemporary French Civilization

The conference organizers - Dr. Denis Provencher, Dr. Nicoleta Bazgan and Dr. Sue Harris - would like to extend a warm invitation to you to join us in Baltimore in September for the 40th anniversary conference of Contemporary French Civilization.

40 Years of Contemporary French Civilization 

3-5 September 2015
Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland, USA 

In the United States, the “French civilization course” grew out of a tradition among scholars working in language departments who wanted to branch out beyond the study of canonical literature. Lawrence Wylie’s pioneering work, including his seminal essay “Teaching the French Civilization Course,” charted new ground in the early 1980s to help forge this tradition. Yet, in many modern language departments across North America, the study of French civilization has, arguably, never taken strong hold, and generally only comprises one or two courses within the overall curriculum. As Contemporary French Civilization (published by Liverpool University Press) turns 40, we aim to assess the state of the field in the academy and take note of current scholarship trends in light of ever-changing university resources, institutional contexts, and student interest. “Civilization studies” and “cultural studies” have also become institutionalized differently in a variety of contexts in North America, the UK and Australia, as well as in France and other European countries. Hence, we invite our international colleagues to join us in this investigation as Contemporary French Civilization joins forces with French Cultural Studies (published by Sage) to organize an interdisciplinary and international conference where scholars critically engage with the proposed conference themes.