MSH: The Americanisation-discourse of French Intellectuals

The project The Americanisation-discourse of French Intellectuals is an attempt to develop a general theory of the discourse of Americanisation. France has been chosen as a case-study since the discourse has arguably been more productive there than elsewh ere, not least by French intellectuals themselves. The question which underpins the project is: Why are certain changes in certain types of cultural practice regarded as symptoms of 'Americanisation', whilst other cultural practices which might equally w ell be seen as such, are not? And why are the same changes regarded in one society as evidence of Americanisation whilst in another society they are not? The hypothesis used in the project is that the epithet of 'Americanisation' becomes attached to cert ain forms of modernisation which are especially problematic or threatening to the intellectuals in the society concerned. A comparative map of what is defined as constituting 'Americanisation' would reveal what aspects of modernity have been problematic t o intellectuals in various locations. A further hypothesis is that 'Americanisation' has indeed in certain cases and in certain locations accurately described the forces causing certain changes. However it is hardly ever an exhaustive description, since the forces of adaption of cultural change are as a rule driven by domestic actors. The discourse has rationalised to intellectuals the origins of their own increasing marginalisation. It has however at the same time, by localising the causes of cultural c hange outside their own societies, withheld the possibility of contesting these changes, thus reinforcing the process of marginalisation. The discourse became a self-reinforcing one of impotence. The project forms part of project 154804/540 Det opne språ ket. THe book it will lead to is complete in first draft, but requires extensive revision and bibliographic work which can only be done conveniently in France.