Forty Years of the Fifth French Republic

This volume takes advantage of the Fortieth Anniversary of the Fifth French Republic to offer a wide-ranging yet focussed assessment of key issues in France. Acknowledged specialists in a variety of disciplines such as politics, history, economics and cultural studies appraise such issues as citizenship, ethnicity, regional development, youth, gender and justice. In a post-colonial context in which France reassesses her identity and influence at European and global level, contributors foreground not only national or institutional interests, but also suggest alternative perspectives, thus giving voice to some of France's so-called 'others'. Common themes and concerns are thus established across the different discourses, which characterize modern and contemporary France. These are shot through with the preoccupation as to what is, or should be, the nature of the Fifth French Republic.