top of page
Articles
Reading Michel Foucault Today: In Conversation with Philipp Sarasin
Philipp Sarasin is emeritus professor of modern history at the University of Zurich and one of the foremost scholars of Michel Foucault in the German-speaking world. Among his many publications are Darwin und Foucault. Genealogie und Geschichte im Zeitalter der Biologie (Darwin and Foucault. Genealogy and History in the Age of Biology), and Michel Foucault zur Einführung (An Introduction to Michel Foucault), the influential standard introduction to Foucault’s thought in Germa
Mats Inauen
22 min read
From Afghanistan to France: A Route Strewn with Pitfalls
On 15 August 2021, the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan. The ‘Apagan’ operation initiated an airlift that successfully evacuated approximately 2600 Afghans to France. However, two weeks later, the airlift operations concluded, leaving a considerable number of the remaining 40 million Afghans trapped within the confines of Afghanistan. Since then, numerous Afghans, compelled by threats related to their profession, gender, or opinions, have been forced to either hide or fl
Salomé Cohen
8 min read
‘Un noble décor’: Modernity and Depictions of the Countryside in Colette’s La Maison de Claudine and Sido
Introduction For the maverick French author Colette, writing about her childhood offered a chance to reflect on the past while keeping a firm grasp on the present. Though frequently avant-garde in their social philosophies, her memoir-adjacent novels also make evident a measured introspection. As she writes of her own attitudes towards novels and life in semi-autobiographical novel La Maison de Claudine: ‘Je ne sais quelle froideur littéraire, saine à tout prendre, me garda d
Rosalind Moran
21 min read
Notre-Dame de Paris: Pyrolysis Hypothesis and Fire Safety in Historical Buildings
On Monday 15 April, a fire broke out in the Notre-Dame de Paris. Believers and tourists were invited to leave the cathedral immediately. A race against time was launched which would last more than fifteen hours, defying all human bravery to save the Notre-Dame. Thousands of people gathered around the cathedral this evening to reflect, pray, and witness this catastrophe which none had thought possible to an eight-century old lady that had accompanied people in their joys and s
Rémi Desalbres
6 min read
The French Veil Debate: State Insecurity and the Family
The family is often presented as an opponent to the state as the location of power, or as an alternative to state institutions. The 2004...
Mary Osborne
12 min read
bottom of page