The Changing Face of French History. A Summary of Colloquia Held at the Institute of French Studies, New York University, Fall 1987

A REVIEW OF THE FALL 1987 COLLOQUIA SPONSORED BY NEW YORK UNIVERSITY’S INSTITUTE OF FRENCH STUDIES In the past twenty to thirty years, the conception of history in both France and America has changed considerably. The territory covered by the discipline has broadened to encompass elements of various social sciences, such as anthropology and sociology. In the Fall of 1987, four colloquia at New York University’s Institute of French Studies focused on various facets of French history and its study. Louis Bergeron and Jacques Revel both discussed some of the effects of the expansion of the concept of history on their discipline. Tony Judt examined the French Left in the context of European socialist thought after World War II, demonstrating how “historical” analysis is now being applied to periods as recent as 1945-1975. Finally, Charles Tilly described the writing of his latest book, The Contentious French, offering an example of current analytical methods in social history.