Persecution and French National Identity Lecture

Dr. Graham Robb lectured today at the Kennedy Center before a diverse audience of students and professors. His subject was a self-proclaimed depressing one, yet it was forward thinking and very informative.
Robb mostly spoke on issues of persecution that he addresses in his book, The Discovery of France. He recounted the general persecution and discrimination of a forgotten group known as the cagots, and further recited some sobering specifics on how they were treated. Most shocking about this group of people is that, in reality, nothing about them separated them from the average Frenchman: they were discriminated against strictly because they had a history of being discriminated against.
Robb addressed the discrimination of gypsies, jews, africans, and arabs, as well. Though the subject matter was heavy, Robb did underline that contemporary France generally views its problems on a more international level and no longer condones harsh persecution.
With that said, he also pointed out that there is still much tension and work to be done: referencing issues like the slaughter of 200 Algerian protesters in 1961, and the 2005 suburbia riots.

Don't miss him tomorrow for his question and answer session of his most recent book, The Discovery of France .

BYU French Department presents

Graham Robb Q&A

Author, The Discovery of France

Thursday, 22 October, noon

284 TNRB

-david

Au fait, copies of the book are still for sale for only $3 in 3134 JFSB. That's $15 off the cover price.

Graham Robb

Bonjour à tous,

Graham Robb is coming to BYU Wednesday and Thursday of next week! Donc, mark your calanders, read up, write down some questions, and take advantage of this opportunity.





*For those that do not have Robb's book, The Discovery of France,
copies are available for only $3 in the French Department Office.



Kennedy Center presents
Graham Robb, Persecution and
French National Identity
Wednesday, 21 October, noon
238 HRCB

BYU French Department presents
Graham Robb Q&A
Author, The Discovery of France
Thursday, 22 October, noon
284 TNRB

Graham Robb is an accomplished writer with many awards for his
books, including the Discovery of France (2007, awarded the Duff
Cooper Prize and the 2008 Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje
Prize), based in part on fourteen thousand miles’ cycling in France.
Three biographies, Rimbaud (2000, won the Enid McLeod Literature
Prize), Victor Hugo (1997, received the Royal Society of Literature
Heinemann Award and Whitbread Biography Prize), and Balzac (1994)
were New York Times “Best Books of the Year.” Robb reviews for the
Times Literary Supplement, the London Review of Books, the Daily
Telegraph, and the New York Review of Books. He is also a fellow of
the Royal Society of Literature. A native of Manchester, he graduated
from Oxford University with first-class honors in French and German
and took received a PhD from Vanderbilt University (1986), after which
he held a British Academy Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Exeter College,
Oxford. Robb lives in Oxford with his wife, Margaret.

_____________

We blogged about Graham Robb and his book before. Click here to read that post.
If you're looking for some cultural activity points for your classes, this is a great opportunity.
If you want to learn more about notre pays, you can't miss it.
See you there!

-david

Sarkozy est faché

Nicholas Sarkozy, Barack Obama, and Gordon Brown accused Iran on Friday morning at the Pittsburgh G20 of having a second nuclear site. Iran has been given until December to conform to international laws or or face more UN sanctions.

"Iran is breaking rules that all nations must follow, endangering the global nonproliferation regime, denying its own people access to the opportunity they deserve, and threatening the stability and security of the region and the world. It is time for Iran to act immediately to restore the confidence of the international community by fulfilling its international obligations," President Obama said.

Appearing alongside Mr. Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said sanctions "will have to be taken" if Iran doesn't address the matter by December. "What has been revealed today is exceptional," Mr. Sarkozy said. "We were already in a very severe confidence crisis, we are now faced with a challenge, a challenge made to the entire international community."

-david

THE DISCOVERY OF FRANCE A Historical Geography From the Revolution to the First World War. By Graham Robb.

As the subtitle indicates, Graham Robb’s new book was written as a “social and geographical history” in which “‘France’ and ‘the French’ would mean something more than Paris and a few powerful individuals.” “The Discovery of France” was not formulated just off of typical scholarly references but also through Robb’s own experiences in the French countryside on his bike.

His “discoveries” give a unique perspective of France. The country is not a unified cultural body, but rather “a vast encyclopedia of micro-civilizations.” Every department has its own ample history and novel customs.

Graham Robb is coming to BYU in just a couple weeks (more info to come)! There will be a Kennedy Center lecture and opportunities to ask questions about the book. “The Discovery of France” is a page-turner and can be yours for just a few francs (big discount) through the French and Italian Department.

-david

Presses stop at popular French newspaper

Last week, after employees at French newspaper Le Monde caught wind of a plan to lay off some 130 employees, a strike was called. The strike has gotten enough steam now that yesterday it's presses went silent for what is only the second time in that paper's 64 years.




For more on the Le Monde strikes:
The Editors Weblog: France: Strike shuts down publication at Le Monde
Le Monde: Les salariés du "Monde" en grève contre les suppressions d'emplois

New light shed on the mysterious disappearance of French WWII pilot

On July 31st, 1944 French reconnaissance pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry took off from an airstrip on Corsica, but he never returned and was never heard from again. Since then, his disappearance has become as mysterious as that of Amelia Earhart. Recently though, some amateur archaeologists seem to have been able to piece together what happened to this French pilot.

For more on this solved mystery:
NY Times: Clues to the Mystery of a Writer Pilot Who Disappeared

View Francaphone news clips online from the BYU HLRC

The HLRC here at BYU has started offering access to international news clips online. Here's how you can get to some French news programs:




1. Go to http://hlrc.byu.edu/media.php
2.Choose "French" under Language pull-down menu.
3. Choose "FRENCH DAILY NEWS BROADCASTS" under the Publication pull-down menu.
4.Choose "French, Belgian, Canadian & Swiss News" under the Chapter pull-down menu.
5.Choose anything under the File pull-down menu (Le Journal TV5 will probably be your best bet).
6. Enjoy!

Olympic Torch relay meets protests in Paris

During the well guarded leg of the Olympic Torch relay in Paris recently, demonstrators gathered from all over Europe in the thousands to protest the Olympics in China, and China's treatment of Tibet. At one point it is even rumored that the flame was extinguished by police and sequestered to a protected van en route. At one point demonstrators also climbed the Eiffel Tower to attach a large poster.


For more about the protests:
Le Monde: Le parcours de la flamme olympique à Paris émaillé de nombreux incidents
Le Figaro: Sur les Champs-Elysées, la flamme sous les huées
Le Figaro: Les incidents en images
NY Times: Protest Disrupts Torch Relay in Paris

France may be no-show at Olympic opening ceremonies

With rumors of possible blackouts of the upcoming Olympic opening ceremonies by the Chinese government because of possible protests over Tibet, President Sarkozy is apparently still debating whether or not the France will be in attendance. Sarkozy is opposed to a complete boycott of the summer games, but is still considering a boycott of the opening ceremonies. Still, he hopes that he can "appeal to the Chinese leaders' sense of responsibility."

For more on the possible French boycott:
BBC News: Sarkozy threat to Olympic opening

Thanks to Mary Wagers for bringing this story to our attention. If you ever have a story you'd like us to feature email us at byufrenchstudies@gmail.com

Lessons learned in Paris

Here's a link to a great article in the NY Times by an American correspondent who had lived in Paris for the last five years. He shares some of his ideas and lessons he's learned during those five years, including things like "Make Friends With a Good Butcher."



Take a look:
NY Times: A Guide to the French. Handle With Care.

France takes steps to preserve its culinary heritage

As announced by President Sarkozy in late February, the French government will be working with UNESCO to preserve France's culinary heritage and make sure its global influence does not fade. UNESCO is a section of the United Nations which oversees the research and protection of cultural icons (rituals, sites, languages, etc.). As France works through a candidature process, a plan will be developed by UNESCO to preserve and protect French cuisine.

For more on the preservation of French culinary heritage:
Le Monde: "La cuisine comme bien commun"

Upcoming French Studies Events - You don't want to miss these!

We've got a few really exciting activities coming up for the program in the near future. Make sure to mark your calendars so that you don't miss out!

French Club Cheese Night
Thursday, March 13th
6:30p.m. - 9:00p.m.
WILK Terrace (by the Cougareat)
Free admission for French Club members
$4 for guest
Tip: get there early



Lecture from Pierre Vimont, the Ambassador to the United States for France
French-American Relations in Today's World
Monday, March 24th
3:00p.m.
Hinckley Alumni and Visitor's Center Assembly Hall

French ban on instructor ratings site

Earlier this week a French tribunal decided to shut down the French instructor rating site note2be.com, ordering them to stop several site rating functions and pay damages to some 50 instructors named on the site. Educational Minister, Xavier Darcos, supported the actions saying that teachers and professors should be protected from "anonymous attacks on the Internet."





For more on the tribunal's actions against the site:
Le Monde: La justice interdit les notes nominatives des professeurs sur note2be.com

Euro Gains More Ground on the Dollar

Due to some economic troubles in the U.S., the Euro recently gained a new high and passed the $1.50 mark. Tuesday morning the exchange rate between the two currencies went as high as $1.5089 to 1€.


For more on the Euro's growth:
Le Figaro: L'euro passe les 1.50$

France plans for 40 medals at the upcoming Olympics

Come August, France will be sending 310 of its finest athletes to Beijing to compete in the games of the XXIX Olympiad. The committee for olympic preparations is determined to maintain France's standing as 7th among other competing nations, a standing that has been slipping since 1996. The committee expects that this will translate into 40 medals for France, a modest improvement over the 33 medals won in the 2004 Summer Games in Athens.


For more on France's Olympic plans:
Le Figaro: La France vise 40 médailles aux JO

French consumers take Soldes online

If you've ever been in France during "Soldes" you know what a big deal it is to have reduced prices on almost any merchandise you can imagine. But apparently French consumers didn't purchase as much in stores this year as they have in past years. What may have been lacking in brick and mortar sales though was more than made up in Internet sales. Some say a French public that is more aware of the country's economic state of affairs is responsible for the change.



For more on this years Soldes:
Le Figaro: Soldes d'hiver : l’incroyable boom d’Internet

Grants for students wishing to visit France

Recently we received the following information from Jean-François Questin, the French Attaché Culturel at the Consulate in San Francisco (who also visited our campus recently and gave an illuminating lecture on immigration in France), concerning grants given by the French government allowing American students to visit the country.

From M. Questin:

"Chaque année, la France offre des séjours culturels et linguistiques, de
9 à 15 jours, à une quarantaine de jeunes Américains, âgés de 18 à 25
ans. Le Service culturel du Consulat Général de San Francisco en dispose
de quatre, à Paris, La Rochelle et Montpellier.

Je vous prie de noter qu'une date limite de réception a spécialement été
arrêtée pour vos étudiants : il s'agit du 15 mars 2008 pour
laquelle les candidatures d'étudiants seront retenues en priorité.
Passée cette échéance et jusqu'au 8 avril,date de la poste faisant foi,
elles seront examinée avec celles des autres postulants non étudiants.

Le Ministère des Affaires Etrangères prend en charge tous les frais en
France mais les jeunes gens intéressés doivent assumer le coût du voyage
Etats-Unis-Paris."

If you are interested in knowing more about these grants, please email us at byufrenchstudies@gmail.com and we will forward you all the necessary documentation.

Tsonga eliminated in first round of Open 13

The France's most recent tennis star, the 22-year-old Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was beaten Wednesday in the first round of the Open 13 Tennis Tournament played each year in Marseille. He was beaten by Croatian player Mario Ancic (7-5, 7-6(3)).

Bernard Kouchner: Foreign Minister of France

The Times recently did an article on Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister. If you'd like to learn a little bit more about the man who created the Médicins Sans Frontières program 37 years ago, has written more than a few books, is often thought of as the most popular politician in France and who has even thought of running for the presidency; then take a look at the Times story and other links below.

Read up on Bernard Kouchner:
NY Times: A Statesman Without Borders
Slideshow on Kouchner's career
More on Kouchner in the news

French Bank Employee At Center of Biggest Trading Fraud in History

Jérôme Kerviel an employee of Société Générale, one of France's premier banking institutions known for it's innovations and technical prowess, has admitted to making more than $70 billion in secret and unauthorized trades. These trades have cost the bank about $7.2 billion in total losses. Details are still forthcoming.



For more information check out these links:
Le Monde: Le mécano de la Générale
Le Figaro: La Société Générale dément tout délit d'initié
NY Times: Charges Are Sought Against French Trader