AFCS Colloquium

2001

1999

1997

One hundred participants had the opportunity to listen to and interact with several French and American speakers, including: Alain Finkielkraut, Christian Delacampagne, Edward Ahearn, Kevin McLaughlin, George Ross, Allen Weiss, David Grayson, Anne Higonnet, Michel Winock, Françoise Gaillard, Denis Hollier, Claudine Haroche, Willa Silverman and Vinni Datta.

Many thanks to Sabine Raffy and Marie-Paule Tranvouez for organizing this colloquium.

1995

Well attended and graced by an exhibit of 1930's photographs and colorful posters assembled by the Wellesley Art Museum, the colloquium progressed at a lively pace. In addition to the presentations, a stimulating dialogue between presenters prompted participation from the audience. A spirited exchange took place between Jean Frangois Sirinelli (Universite de Lille) and Stanley Hoffmann (Harvard University) on the degree of optimism - or denial - among French intellectuals in the decade preceding the war, while Philippe Roger (CNRS) convincingly revealed literary manifestations of anti-Americanism during that period. Michael Kelly's (University of Southampton, UK.) presentation on the participation of Catholics in the Front Populaire chose the unusual and remarkably fitting adjective ondoyant to describe a uniquely French configuration of religious and political consciouness. Jay Panetta's (Wellesley) reminder of the French hospitality to American jazz elicited among the French nationals in the audience a definite burst of Gallic pride, which was reinforced by the showing of Marcel Carne's Hotel du Nord. The vibrancy of film and literature in the 30's was highlighted in presentations by Anne Leoni (Universite de Provence) and Michel Marie (Paris III), and the works of one of the most vibrant authors of the time, Raymond Queneau, were illuminated by Gilbert Pestureau (Loyola University Chicago) who placed it historical context writings that all of us know but offer tend to enjoy without looking beyond their provocative charm. A lively and refreshing presentation by Susar Suleiman (Harvard University) illustrated the revival or, really, the historical and cultural "burps" generatec by the Dreyfus affair in the Thirties. Shanny Peer (New York University) explored the cultural politics in the 1937 Paris International Exhibition, and her thorough and perceptive analysis gave us a comparative perspective on the cultural politics of today. Ronnie Sharfinan's (SUNY Purchase) discussion of the conjunction of surrealism, colonialism and the emergence of negritude finds a striking echo in some of :he visual art of those years (cf. the BDIC catalog in Books of note" below). Finally, the detective work 3erformed by Laurent Gervereau (Musee d1fistoire 2ontemporaine) on the visual sources of Picasso's 3uernica was praised by J.F Sirinelli as an exemplary piece of authentic cultural history.

Minutes of Business meeting
The meeting was called to order during the (excellent) lunch at Wellesley College. Present: Professors Bond, Briere, Bryson, Datta, Ferguson, Fourny, Kaufman, Keith, Kirkpatrick, Peer, Pestureau, Raffy, Transvouez. We were especially pleased to welcome Michael Kelly, from the University of Southampton (U-K) and one of the editors of the British journal French Cultural Studies.

First on the agenda were thanks and felicitations to Sabine Raffy and Marie-Paule Transvouez for their terrific work putting the Colloquium together, and heartfelt thanks to the Maison Frangaise of Wellesley College for its support, and to the French Cultural Services and Attache Culturel Christian Delacampagne for the splendid reception offered to Colloquium participants in the beautiful mansion off the Boston Common.

The discussion then turned to future projects, notably, the next colloquium. It was agreed that an eighteen months period between colloquia was desirable, as it allowed us to alternate spring and fall dates and also afforded sufficient time to put a program together. The next colloquium, however, has been scheduled tentatively for the spring of 1997 rather than Fall 1996, and will again be held at Wellesley. The subject chosen is "Les fins de si6cle", and Sabine Raffy will be in charge of the organization. Such a rich topic lends itself particularly well to an interdisciplinary approach and concretizes an important suggestion made at the 1994 AFCS plenary: that the association take the lead in insuring that all aspects of culture, beyond the often favored historical ones, receive critical attention. Considering the exceptional facilities at Wellesley and especially the beautiful new art museum, the Association is looking into the possibility (funds permitting) of arranging a modified version of an exhibit on the same theme, Rever demain, curated by the Musee d' Histoire Contemporaine, and which received critical acclaim in Paris in 1994.

The next item on the agenda was the structure that the Association should choose in order to maximize its exchanges with members and increase its visibility. It was decided that rather than full fledged chapters, which would entail an organizational effort that would be difficult to sustain, the AFCS should encourage its members to publicize the Association when participating in or organizing academic events. The members present approved lending the support of the Association to colloquia or workshops sponsored by members in their own institutions, and tried to define this support in ways that would be both commensurate with the current size and means of the Association, and flexible enough to respond to rapid growth.

As finances invariably come first to mind, the Association proposes to sponsor and assist, through official letters, requests by members to university officials, the Services Culturels and other organizations that might support a project. As the Association grows, and possibly as soon as next year, it will consider direct requests for limited financial assistance within the limits of its budget, and will actively seek grants and other funding to supplement dues and increase the size of its "support fund."