The Politics of Fun: Cultural Policy and Debate in Contemporary France

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Description

This authoritative study considers contemporary policies for the arts in France and the cultural and political issues they have raised. The author concentrates particularly on the seminal Mitterrand years but also disentangles the various influences which marked them. Analyzing the role of the ever more powerful Ministry of Culture, he traces the gradual shift from the democratization of high culture, adopted as a quasi-religious crusade during the De Gaulle era, to the aesthetic relativism and 'fun' culture which became the trademark of the department during the 1980s and 1990s. He also examines wider debates about the relationship between culture, society and the state.

Reviews

'David Looseley has charted in full and lucid detail the history of these extraordinary years.' The Literary Review 'The book's text matches up well to a fascinating and highly topical subject and the author has covered his ground in considerable depth, providing an important source book ... this book has provided considerable enlightenment and occasional moments of righteous envy.' The Times Higher Education Supplement 'Looseley has produced an important book which sets new standards in the study of cultural policy, and which will be read with interest by policy makers and academics alike.' European Journal of Cultural Policy " ... a well-researched work with excellent references, bibliography, short chronology and index ... providing a fascinating insight into the types of debate that governments can engender if they are willing to be involved not just in the selling of franchises for television and the national lottery but in a holistic approach to the promotion of the nation's treasures and heritage." Political Studies "(an) extremely well-documented and tightly argued study... (...) Looseley demonstrates a firm command of his material, displaying an intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the Ministry and of its changing policies, based not only on the careful study of written sources but also on highly fruitful personal contacts and interviews with Ministry staff. The author has an enviable capacity to present in a most lucid fashion the details and complexities of cultural institutions and cultural legislation, while never losing sight of the wider political, intellectual, and cultural issues at stake in a history of the French state's assumption of a central and directive role in the cultural life of the nation." Modern Language Review 'The book has an excellent bibliography and a brief, but useful, chronology which, with its acessible style and clear explanations of unfamiliar concepts, make it an excellent text to recommend to students. [...] ... as the millennium celebrations draw ever nearer, readers will find Looseley provides a fascinating perspective from which to survey the British equivalent of the fete du Bicentenaire.' French Studies

Author Bio

David L. Looseley Professor of Contemporary French Culture, University of Leeds