Thèses sur le sujet « National characteristics, French, in textbooks »

Jacques Brel, Georges Brassens and Léo Ferré are three emblematic figures of post-war French song, who have been seen by critics, journalists, and the public, as the epitome of chanson, and more generally of ‘Frenchness’. The starting point of this study is the observation that the legacy of the systematic association of Brel, Brassens, and Ferré – crystallised in Cristiani’s 1969 interview and in Jean-Pierre Leloir’s photograph of the interview – has enjoyed a prosperity which seems disproportionate to the actual relevance of the comparison between the three artists. In 1969, the three singers were significant figures of French song, but they were not the only ones. Bringing them together was therefore a promise of media success, but it was in no way expected to start a legend; and yet, the myth of the interview has today taken over its reality, to the extent that the Comédie Française is presently, almost thirty years later, turning it into a play which was staged in May 2008. The photograph of the three singers smoking and drinking around a table is, today, and for a vast majority of people, the only thing that they know about the famous interview, if not about the singers. The lack of obvious grounds to justify the exclusivity of the trio suggests that there is more to it than a musical trinity. By taking into consideration the oral dimension of song, the socio-cultural context in which the trio emerged, and the mediation of their celebrity, this study aims to identify the factors of cultural and national identity that have held together the myth of the trio since its creation. Besides shedding new light on the significance of the three artists individually, this study proposes to demonstrate that each singer embodies qualities with which the French people likes to be associated, and that the trio Brel-Brassens-Ferré can therefore be seen as an arbitrary sketch of a certain ‘Frenchness’. In particular, this thesis focuses on the trio illustrating the popular representation of a key issue of French national identity: the paradoxical aspiration to both revolution and the status quo. By taking the cultural icon ‘Brel-Brassens-Ferré’ as a case study through which to address questions of popular and national identity, this study contributes to cultural studies in two different ways. Firstly, through theorising the implications of the oral dimension of songs, it demonstrates the necessity of taking into consideration factors such as performance, the media, and the socio-historical context, when studying artists as societal phenomena. Secondly, it evidences the importance of the study of forms of popular culture, such as iconic singers or music, when investigating the ways in which a society perceives its own national identity.

The focus of this study is an investigation of cross-channel exchanges represented in travelogues, historical works, journalism, letters and journals written by English women Frances Trollope, Lady Margaret Blessington, George Eliot and Julia Kavanagh on France and by French women Flora Tristan and Marie Dronsart on England. The work is based on the view that narratives about another culture betray preconceptions and beliefs and are never innocent descriptions. Nineteenth-century English descriptions of France, for instance, are not only marked by the stereotype of the gregarious French bon vivant but also by the often tense political relationship and economical concurrence between the two countries. French descriptions of England reflect the consciousness of England's superiority in the domains of economy, industry and colonialism as well as the stereotype of the boring, monosyllabic, haughty, egoistic and often xenophobic Englishman. Given that writings on the other culture are marked by practices and belief systems as well as notions of superiority and inferiority like texts emerging from a colonial context, ideas which have been developed in this field by scholars such as Sara Mills and Reina Lewis have been used as a basis for this investigation. I argue that the women whose texts I analyse strategically employ 'discourses of difference' (to use Sara Mills' term), or alignment and 'othering' in regard to nation, class, and political opinion, in order to gain positions which allow them to challenge contemporary ideologies of femininity. They take advantage of their positions in very different ways, according to their personal, class and economic situations, their agenda, and their gendered position within society which changes significantly during the century. The English women Frances Trollope, Lady Margaret Blessington, George Eliot and Julia Kavanagh construct themselves as part of the tradition of French salonnières from the seventeenth century to the present, while the French women Flora Tristan and Marie Dronsart align themselves with English travel writers, particularly Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. Through a careful construction of these foremothers, which often differed from other representations of them, they criticise gender politics in their own country and endeavour to normalise their own activities as intellectuals and writers, in the case of Tristan as a socialist and feminist activist. This strategy is complemented by 'othering' with regard to nation, class and political convictions which confers on the women an authoritative authorial voice and / or allows them to support their argument. They endorse ideologies of gender, nation and class at the same time as they reject some aspects of them. This study reveals new aspects of nineteenth-century discussions of the so-called 'woman question' through a broader approach which encompasses not only the parameters of gender, class and political orientation but also cross-cultural experience.

'"Transcolonial Circuits': Historical Fiction and National Identities in Ireland, Scotland, and Canada" explores the intersections between gender, canon-formation, and literary genre in order to argue that English- and French-Canadian historical fiction was influenced, both in form and content, by the precedent-setting fictions o f Scotland and Ireland in the early nineteenth century. Conceived in the spirit o f Katie Trumpener's Bardic Nationalism: The Romantic Novel and the British Empire (1997), this dissertation extends Trumpener's examination of nineteenth-century British and Canadian romantic fiction by exploring in greater detail the flow of ideas and literary techniques between Ireland, Scotland, and English and French Canada. It does so in order to revise critical understandings of the formal and thematic origins and development of Canadian historical fiction from the nineteenth century to the present. Chapter One functions as a series of literary snapshots that examine historically the critical and popular reception of novels by Maria Edgeworth and Sydney Owenson in Ireland, Sir Walter Scott in Scotland, John Richardson, William Kirby, and Jean Mcllwraith in English Canada, and Philippe Aubert de Gaspe and Napoleon Bourassa in French Canada. I pay particular attention to the issues o f gender and political ideology as inseparable from the history of the novel itself. In Chapter Two, by focussing on the travel trope, I examine in detail how Irish, Scottish, and Canadian writers transformed the investigative journeys of Samuel Johnson and Arthur Young into journeys of resistance to the dictates of the metropolis. Chapter Three focuses on the complications of marriage as a metaphor o f intercultural union. It pays particular attention to the intersections between gender, sexuality, and colonial identity. The Conclusion extends the concerns raised in the thesis about the relationship between historical writing and national identity to the late-twentieth-century Canadian context, by examining the adaptation of literary and historiographical conventions to the medium of television in the CBC/SRC television series Canada: A People's History, which aired in 2001-02.

Includes filmography: leaves 252-256. Bibliography: leaves 241-251. This thesis compares the representation of colonial history in the cinema of France and Australia since 1970. Films examined all had historical colonial settings, a narrative focus principally on aspects of the colonisation process and a director who was descended from former colonisers. It concludes that there are few sustained attempts to confront and resolve the problematic aspects of colonialism's legacy. The tendency to contain the representation of the colonial past within a fictional framework has the inevitable consequence of masking history and avoiding the necessity for dealing with it.

M.A.
The present dissertation is divided into two parts. The first part consists of the first three chapters, the theoretical content and the second part, which consists of the fourth and fifth chapters, is the research conducted according the conclusions drawn and the proposals. In the first chapter the compiled thesis deals with the reformation of the nation- state notion. This dissertation sought for the roots of the nation-state notion, which rise from the era of Enlightenment and encountered the particular features typical to their existence. The study then moves on to the formation of the Greek nation state. We witnessed its development and evolution from the ancient years until its creation. Its existence is worth being mentioned only after the emancipation from the Turkish occupation, as well as to the special features such as the language, culture and religion, features that were created during the antiquity. Furthermore, national identity was the main subject, whose infrastructure is the existence of “foreigners”. It is widely known that the individuals who belong to a particular group comply with common values and ideals but they reject elements which are considered to be unfamiliar and of a bad influence. As far as the Greek national identity is concerned, what came to light was that the roots stem from the ancient Greek civilization, which represents the modern Greek and the European civilization. National identity’s major features and functional elements such as education, language and church were revealed at the same time. In addition, the scientific interest was directed towards nationalism and ethnocentrism. The special features suitable for the creation of nationalism and the era in which it appeared were examined. Moreover, the causes and factors, which reformed, shaped and supported it were revealed some of which may be ideology, political parties, mass media, educational system, and the way of thinking to name a few. Finally, it was found that Greek nationalism was formed by the fall of Istanbul and was connected with the “Great Idea”. Therefore, the cultivation of the national ethics can be developed into ethnocentrism. This phenomenon can be interpreted in a different manner in relation with the existing political and historical state and the specific period of time. Later on, ethnocentrism’s existence, it’s originality, it’s creation and the consequences it might have had on the development of the student’s identity. It is cultivated properly when the education takes on a “traditional” role promoted to exemplify the particular national features. As a result, on the one hand the ethnocentrism secures the cultural continuation and homogeneity, but on the other hand it functions as a factor against bringing the students in contact with other people and civilizations. As far as it is concerned, the official state plays an important role providing books and educators who are summoned to materialize the aims of education. The second chapter presents economical, political, social and cultural changes which took place during the 20th century not only worldwide but also within the Greek society. These changes were particularly important and resulted in more and more people coming into contact with more than one civilizations and they were summoned to co-exist harmoniously, peacefully and creatively. This goal can be achieved only under the appropriate circumstances. Education should play this significant role in order to cultivate the ethno-cultural identity, the acceptance and the comprehension of “others” demonstrating them not only through warfare but also through culture. A lot conferences such as { the educational action of UNESCO, The Maastricht treaty) were held on this important issue at which was presented proposal (Green Bible and others). The conclusions of which culminated the A.T.P. and school text material, putting aside as much as possible the ethnocentrism other stereo types and negative conceptions towards “foreigners”. Instead they create suitable teaching circumstances for the understanding and tolerance of the ”foreigners” in order to co-exist peacefully. The third chapter presents the aim of the research ground of this project which has to do with the A.T.P., the school written text books and the concepts of the educators containing national centralized elements. It is known that students are encouraged to come in contact with knowledge, attitudes and values according to the educational policy of each government. The significance of both the school manual and A.T.P. as well as school textbooks, implements of the official state, that helped fulfill the aims, along with the concepts of the educator regarding the cultivation or not of ethnic centrism, were demonstrated. Furthermore, the third chapter continues with a summarized research in bibliography. From this summary culminated that the school manual, curriculum and the school text books from primary and elementary school, even though there were some improvements, remained national centralized and they are not relieved from negative comments and reviews about “foreign” people. Commonly, they present other peoples through battle, warfare and not through their culture and civilization. Moreover, problems and issues which concern all of us are not presented in the depth and coverage they should have been presented within the margin of European and worldwide dimensions in education, a fact which is increasingly discussed in our times. As far as the concept of the educators is concerned, what has risen is that those children, who originated from other nationalities, are more open-minded and tolerant to the presence of ‘foreigners’ and the propagation of ethnocentrism elements from education as well as the acceptance of new reality. Finally, the same chapter features the manuals and A.T.P. in which the research materialized and the appropriate method. The fourth chapter presents the research, which was held in the general Analytic Teaching Programme, and that of the subject lessons (Language, History, Geography, Environmental studies, and Religion) as well as the reverent school textbooks. The conclusions and proposals of the whole research procedure were also presented in the above research. It was noted that the general A.T.P., refers to the cultivation of national identity, respect and acceptance of ‘foreigner’ peoples, point that was regarded as remarkably positive. Perhaps due to the fact that the Analytic Teaching Programme has been written recently, it has taken into consideration new standards in world wide and Greek societies and the new role education has to play in this theme. The cultivation of European consciousness is also mentioned, element which could lead to a one new kind of national centralization known as euro centrism. The research in the subject of History grade 6th showed that the national identity is cultivated since social political, economical and religious life of Greece from the period of Turkish rule up until today, but the references of the current Greek state are scant. Therefore, the ‘foreigners’ presented through war and diplomatic relations, which they had with Greece and there are few cultural references to them. All the above culminate in the historical consciousness and judgment of students not being cultivated. As far as the subjects Greek Language grade 5th and grade 6th classes, it is noted that their foremost goal is Greece and its culture. Apart from the Anthology text book, all the references deal with the past and does not present the image of the current Greek state. Also, there is no reference to minorities, residing permanently in Greece. The references to ‘foreigners’ basically stem from passages which refer to wars between Greece against other peoples and passages of foreign literature are missing. It has to be mentioned that the Anthology text book comes in terms with the requirements of the A.T.P. and differs from that of the Language textbooks. Through the subjects of Geography of grade 5th and grade 6th classes students experience their first acquaintance with natural, and human environment in Greece 5th class and in the whole world, ( 5th class ). However, there is no mention in minorities as well as in groups of people who have emigrated permanently in Greece in the recent years. It is noted is that the European Union and its aims, which are presented fully in the textbook of 5th class. Also, in the same textbook cultural exchanges between Greek and other cultures are mentioned, elements which are missing from the corresponding text book in 6th grade which promote superiority and homogeneity in Greek culture. After their comparison, both books pose the issue of their inspection according to new standards. Hence, through both books the necessity of co-operation and supporting and the right of believing in different religions is promoted. The subject of Environmental studies of grade 4th attempts to acquaint the students with the geographical state of Greece, the ecosystem, the tradition and culture. Therefore, the cultural references deal fundamentally with the ancient Greek civilization. In regards to the ‘foreigners’ and E.U the references are briefly mentioned and the aims of the A.T.P are not fulfilled successfully. Finally, concerning the subject of Religion grade 6th through the research study on it, I came to the conclusion that the textbook is centered on Christianity and there are no references to other religions. As a consequence, only Christian consciousness is developed to the students and not the religious one, which is the aim of the A.T.P. This element does not develop a religious thinking and this aim is necessary for the prorogation of religious fanaticism and the acceptance of differentiation. A brief summary of the findings is presented in the fifth chapter, which was mentioned above through the research that was held in respect to Greece and to the ‘foreigners’ using the A.T.P. and the corresponding school manuals. Proposals on the improvement of school text books, the A.T.P., as well as proposals on the teachers {which has been studied through the summary of the research Bibliography) followed. In this way the new social and economical reality was taken into account as it is formed in the present era which imposes the educational liberation from national centralization and its implementation with European and worldwide standards to cultivate peace, the acceptance of others and the harmonious co-existence among peoples all over the world for their own best interest.

M.A.
The school constitutes the main institution, to which modernsocieties assign the systematic socialization of each new generation. Indubitably the school handbook constitutes the basic tool in this process, as it is the main means of teaching and its use is more frequent than all the other means. In particular the books that are used for the teaching of the Greek language to Greek children abroad (outside mainland Greece) function, with their content and with their appearance, as ambassadors of Greece abroad. The analysis and evaluation of these books provide important information on the ideology, the cultural identity, the culture and the total experiences of learning by the scholars. Recognizing, therefore, the role, the big value and also the power that school handbooks have, in the molding and the behaviour of young scholars, I truly consider my Post-graduate work, interesting. It has as its subject: "The image of Greece and hellenism as presented in the two main series of manuals for Greek diaspora pupils", both of which are used for the teaching of the Greek language to Greek children abroad". The series "I LEARN GREEK" constitutes a production made possible through the collaboration of the Pedagogical Institute of Greece and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North America.It was published in 1993 and it is addressed to scholars aged 6 to 14 years, who are taught the Greek language in various types of schools in the USA. In practice, however, Greek schools worldwide use the series. The series "THINGS AND LETTERS" is a production of the University of Crete. It was first published on an experimental basis in 1999 and is addressed to Greek children of the Diaspora. The purpose of the present postgraduate study was to seek out how Greece and Hellenism are presented in the contents of the above-mentioned series of instruction material. The question that occupied me was whether the particular series of books accomplished, through the teaching of the language, the transfer to young scholars of 571 elements of Geography, Greek history, of Greek culture, Greek tradition, cultural heritage, orthodoxy, daily reality of modern Greece. The final aim was to find the messages that the scholars receive and the picture that forms in their minds of Greece and Hellenism on finishing their schooling and having being taught Greek with either series even if they have never visited Greece. The first part of my work constitutes the theoretical part of my study and is constituted of two chapters. The first chapter is an introductory study whilst the second refers to Greek migration and the Diaspora and later to the Greek speaking education abroad. Reference is made to the aims, the forms, the institutions, and the means of support of Greek education abroad and includes a historical review of the implementation of Greek-speaking education as organized from Greece. In this chapter also mention is made of the Greek School abroad, the teaching personnel, the student population, the role of the parents and local Greek Communities. Special reference is made, naturally, to Greek-speaking education in South Africa. The second part of my work consists of tables and statistical charts totaling, roughly 350 pages. Here there is a record of all references that are contained in the series "I LEARN GREEK" and "THINGS AND LETTERS" that have connection or relation with Greece and Hellenism and are classified in eight (8) broad categories. The categories are: Greece as a holiday destination Religion Cultural identity Hellenism abroad (Outside Greece) Geography Modern Greece

For the past two decades, scholars have been reassessing the ways in which Western writers and intellectuals have traditionally misrepresented the non-white world for their own ideological purposes. Orientalism, Edward Said's ground-breaking study of the ways in which Europeans projected their own social problems onto the nations of the Near East in an attempt to take their minds off the same phenomena as they occurred closer to home, was largely responsible for this shift in emphasis. Fantasy America: The United States as Seen Through French and Italian Eyes is an exploration of a parallel occurrence that could easily be dubbed "Occidentalism." More specifically, it is a study of the ways in which French and Italian writers and filmmakers have sought to situate the New World within an Old World context. "Among the (More Advanced) Barbarians" (a.k.a. Chapter One) examines the continuities and discontinuities of French travel writing in America from the days of the Jesuits to the heyday of the existentialists. Certain motifs and idees fixes—the uniqueness of American racism; the "magic" of New York—are first identified and then examined. "A Meeting of the Mafias" (Chapter Two) is more cosmopolitan in scope, tracing the ways in which French, American, and Italian crime fiction have historically influenced each other, as well as the relationship of the policier to differing notions of the nation-state. "The Ruins of Rome" (Chapter Three) demonstrates how Italian intellectuals have looked to the United States for new World Solutions to Old World problems. This chapter encompasses two major sub-themes: the positive possibilities for Italy of "Fordismo" (the American industrial model) and American literature (which was believed to promote political, as well as cultural, liberty). "Lurching Towards the Millennium" picks up the threads of the first three chapters and places them in the contemporary context of globalization, a process which threatens to replace the hegemony of the nation state with the omnipresence of corporate power. The cultural model of Quebec is introduced at this point as a New World/Old World paradigm that embodies the chimerical contradictions of a globe on the brink of a new millennium.

Ce travail explore la topologie de la symbolique du nationalisme français à travers la figure de Jeanne d'Arc, dans l'oeuvre de Maurice Barrès, Autour de Jeanne d'Arc (1916), et celle de Léon Bloy, Jeanne d'Arc et l'Allemagne (1915). Ces deux textes sont des artefacts culturels de la Grande Guerre, et leur convocation tutélaire de Jeanne d'Arc, comme figure identitaire française, fait émerger deux modes de penser, deux visions de l'histoire et deux conceptions de la nation qui révèlent d'irréductibles oppositions idéologiques au sein de la droite conservatrice. Notre parcours suit les micro-transformations discursives du topos Jeanne d'Arc, en prise directe avec le texte. Ce «pas-à-pas» révèle que 1'émergence de Jeanne génère une réarticulassions du fonds mémoriel national qui s'inscrit chez Barrès, dans l'ordre nouveau d'une France régénérée par la guerre, alors que pour Bloy, i l trace une topologie de la dégénérescence, fondee sur une vision totalisante où le retour à Dieu détermine le sens unique de l'histoire. En tant que production symbolique, la portée générale de Jeanne d'Arc en 1914 soulève, paradoxalement, la problématique de la construction de 1'individualité: le combat de Jeanne au front de 14 passe par une revanche franco-française dans une République "déracinée" et déchristianisée -- mais non désacralisée. En effet, le mysticisme frelatéé de la Jeanne barrésienne et le messianisme millénariste de la Jeanne bloyenne traduisent, chez nos deux auteurs, la volonté d'un retour à un âge d'or de la nation. Notre analyse montre que cette pensée de la fracture s'articule sur un mouvement de transfert du politique dans la sphère du mysticisme. Les forces cohésives qui autorisent la jonction des destinées de Jeanne et de la France sont ici déployées au niveau du discours, à travers leurs déplacements, leurs réarticulassions, leurs discontinuités. Elles ne sont pas renvoyées à une idéalité conceptuelle. L'enjeu de 1'analyse est de constituer des réseaux de sens et de circonscrire progressivement des séries discursives récurrentes qui nous donneront, en fin de parcours, une idée de la francité en 1914, c'est-à-dire, pour Barrès et Bloy, celle d'une nation en mal d'origines.