Discussion
Respond to either two questions.
1. Public Versus Private Life and the Self. In Chapter 6 of Au Contraire! A-M conclude with the following statement: Unlike Americans, the French don't seem to make a connection between a person's attitude and actions in his or her private life and what might happen in public; this is an area where the cultural gap is simply real (p. 58).
What historical example or examples can you think of that illustrate this cultural gap? Explain why you selected this example to share with your classmates.
2. Racism and French History. Several years ago, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon stated that the French are the most anti-Semitic people in the world (N-B, p. 97). Although he made this remark in reference to a rash of hate crimes in France, he was also alluding to something historical. On this 52nd anniversary year of St Louis-Ferdinand Céline (one of France's great 20th-century literary figures who was also an ardent collaborationist) and based on what you have read, do you think the re-examination of de Gaulle's Resistance myth has been a necessary process for the French?
3. The Roots of French Anti-globalization. How is the anti-colonial discourse generated by the Left over the question of Algeria related to anti-globalization campaigns such as those undertaken by José Bové and others?