PETER McPHEE
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198202257
- eISBN:
- 9780191675249
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198202257.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter discusses the structure and composition of rural France in the 1840s. It particularly tackles the distinguishing identities that set each of the towns in rural France from each other. ...
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This chapter discusses the structure and composition of rural France in the 1840s. It particularly tackles the distinguishing identities that set each of the towns in rural France from each other. The chapter discusses in detail the eighty-six administrative departments of France which are divided by language, ethnicity, and culture. It also talks about the internal differentiation in each community wherein inhabitants were differentiated by their various roles in landownership and productive process as well as their wealth and their relationship with the land. The chapter looks at the ideas of Michel Vovelle, wherein he distinguished rural France in terms of occupational complexity, patterns ‘out’ of marriage, and involvement in commerce. The chapter also looks at the effects and implications of the introduction of religion and churches into these communities. It also delves into the implications brought about by education and schools in rural France and its society. In addition, the first chapter tackles the Code Rural of the Revolution, one of the unresolved issues in the revolutionary period where large landowners of the rural France wanted to seek profit from the opportunities created by the growth of urban markets as well as control of the access of the rural poor to forests and other lands. This resulted in the uprising of the rural poor wherein they worked together to protect the goals of employment, access to forests, and the use or division of communal lands. These upheavals against the wealthy few and the oppressive politics leaning towards the interests of the elite can be seen through the rural community's experiences, learned ideologies, and orally transmitted memories.Less
This chapter discusses the structure and composition of rural France in the 1840s. It particularly tackles the distinguishing identities that set each of the towns in rural France from each other. The chapter discusses in detail the eighty-six administrative departments of France which are divided by language, ethnicity, and culture. It also talks about the internal differentiation in each community wherein inhabitants were differentiated by their various roles in landownership and productive process as well as their wealth and their relationship with the land. The chapter looks at the ideas of Michel Vovelle, wherein he distinguished rural France in terms of occupational complexity, patterns ‘out’ of marriage, and involvement in commerce. The chapter also looks at the effects and implications of the introduction of religion and churches into these communities. It also delves into the implications brought about by education and schools in rural France and its society. In addition, the first chapter tackles the Code Rural of the Revolution, one of the unresolved issues in the revolutionary period where large landowners of the rural France wanted to seek profit from the opportunities created by the growth of urban markets as well as control of the access of the rural poor to forests and other lands. This resulted in the uprising of the rural poor wherein they worked together to protect the goals of employment, access to forests, and the use or division of communal lands. These upheavals against the wealthy few and the oppressive politics leaning towards the interests of the elite can be seen through the rural community's experiences, learned ideologies, and orally transmitted memories.
Michaela Caroline Benson
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719082498
- eISBN:
- 9781781701843
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719082498.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Social Groups
This is a study of how lifestyle choices intersect with migration, and how this relationship frames and shapes post-migration lives. It presents a conceptual framework for understanding ...
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This is a study of how lifestyle choices intersect with migration, and how this relationship frames and shapes post-migration lives. It presents a conceptual framework for understanding post-migration lives that incorporates culturally specific imaginings, lived experiences, individual life histories, and personal circumstances. Through an ethnographic lens incorporating in-depth interviews, participant observation, life and migration histories, this monograph reveals the complex process by which migrants negotiate and make meaningful their lives following migration. By promoting their own ideologies and lifestyle choices relative to those of others, British migrants in rural France reinforce their position as members of the British middle class, but also take authorship of their lives in a way not possible before migration. This is evident in the pursuit of a better life that initially motivated migration and continues to characterise post-migration lives. As the book argues, this ongoing quest is both reflective of wider ideologies about living, particularly the desire for authentic living, and subtle processes of social distinction. In these respects, the book provides an empirical example of the relationship between the pursuit of authenticity and middle-class identification practices.Less
This is a study of how lifestyle choices intersect with migration, and how this relationship frames and shapes post-migration lives. It presents a conceptual framework for understanding post-migration lives that incorporates culturally specific imaginings, lived experiences, individual life histories, and personal circumstances. Through an ethnographic lens incorporating in-depth interviews, participant observation, life and migration histories, this monograph reveals the complex process by which migrants negotiate and make meaningful their lives following migration. By promoting their own ideologies and lifestyle choices relative to those of others, British migrants in rural France reinforce their position as members of the British middle class, but also take authorship of their lives in a way not possible before migration. This is evident in the pursuit of a better life that initially motivated migration and continues to characterise post-migration lives. As the book argues, this ongoing quest is both reflective of wider ideologies about living, particularly the desire for authentic living, and subtle processes of social distinction. In these respects, the book provides an empirical example of the relationship between the pursuit of authenticity and middle-class identification practices.
PETER McPHEE
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198202257
- eISBN:
- 9780191675249
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198202257.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter examines the culmination of insurgency and revolt in rural France. On December 2, 1851, Louis-Napoleon seized power by military coup d'etat as preparation and means of regrouping his ...
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This chapter examines the culmination of insurgency and revolt in rural France. On December 2, 1851, Louis-Napoleon seized power by military coup d'etat as preparation and means of regrouping his supporters after failing to convince the Legislative Assembly to revise the constitution. As a result of the furthering oppressive government of Napoleon, France saw the largest rural insurrection since the Great Fear of 1789 and the actions of maquis in 1942 to 1944. In the following week, the insurgents established revolutionary administration in over 100 communities and seized control of the entire department. However, the failure of the insurgents to hold firmly vanquished areas lead to the defeat of the insurrection beginning with four months of repression and the period of terror. The chapter also discusses the underlying reasons with which the massive resistance occurred and happened. More than the economic threats faced by the rural people, the mobilizing reason for the insurgency lies on the extensive intrusion of capitalism and the state. The chapter also discusses in detail the lengths to which the Louis-Napoleon administration continued to take action to intimidate residual republicanism into submission while taking action to reconcile with the people. While the leftist and the insurgents continued to hoist resistance against the government, in the 1860s, France had changed under the vision of Louis-Napoleon.Less
This chapter examines the culmination of insurgency and revolt in rural France. On December 2, 1851, Louis-Napoleon seized power by military coup d'etat as preparation and means of regrouping his supporters after failing to convince the Legislative Assembly to revise the constitution. As a result of the furthering oppressive government of Napoleon, France saw the largest rural insurrection since the Great Fear of 1789 and the actions of maquis in 1942 to 1944. In the following week, the insurgents established revolutionary administration in over 100 communities and seized control of the entire department. However, the failure of the insurgents to hold firmly vanquished areas lead to the defeat of the insurrection beginning with four months of repression and the period of terror. The chapter also discusses the underlying reasons with which the massive resistance occurred and happened. More than the economic threats faced by the rural people, the mobilizing reason for the insurgency lies on the extensive intrusion of capitalism and the state. The chapter also discusses in detail the lengths to which the Louis-Napoleon administration continued to take action to intimidate residual republicanism into submission while taking action to reconcile with the people. While the leftist and the insurgents continued to hoist resistance against the government, in the 1860s, France had changed under the vision of Louis-Napoleon.
PETER McPHEE
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198202257
- eISBN:
- 9780191675249
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198202257.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter discusses threats imposed by the surge of insurgency and radicalism spreading from the southern region of France. Precipitated by the violation of Louis-Napoleon of the constitution, the ...
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This chapter discusses threats imposed by the surge of insurgency and radicalism spreading from the southern region of France. Precipitated by the violation of Louis-Napoleon of the constitution, the June 13 resistance failed because of a fatal tactical blindness. Even though it was seen as a derisory political blunder, the June 13 incident struck a responsive chord in several rural areas. In some rural areas, the people took arms and mobilized in readiness. In response to the uprising of June 13, Louis-Napoleon drafted new laws regarding clubs and political meetings, limiting them with regard to political gatherings. On June 27, press laws were tightened and these warned of libel and suspension. The government also prepared itself to isolate and punish government employees defiant of the administration. The government also worked on changing the ‘softness’ of the army which was largely composed of peasants. As a response to the tightening laws of the government after the uprising of June 13, activists in rural France resorted to pamphlets, almanacs, newspapers, and by-elections as vehicles of propaganda. Activists and insurgents also resorted to social and leisure means wherein male members of the rural areas could discuss politics and political issues in the guise of playing cards and drinking alcohol.Less
This chapter discusses threats imposed by the surge of insurgency and radicalism spreading from the southern region of France. Precipitated by the violation of Louis-Napoleon of the constitution, the June 13 resistance failed because of a fatal tactical blindness. Even though it was seen as a derisory political blunder, the June 13 incident struck a responsive chord in several rural areas. In some rural areas, the people took arms and mobilized in readiness. In response to the uprising of June 13, Louis-Napoleon drafted new laws regarding clubs and political meetings, limiting them with regard to political gatherings. On June 27, press laws were tightened and these warned of libel and suspension. The government also prepared itself to isolate and punish government employees defiant of the administration. The government also worked on changing the ‘softness’ of the army which was largely composed of peasants. As a response to the tightening laws of the government after the uprising of June 13, activists in rural France resorted to pamphlets, almanacs, newspapers, and by-elections as vehicles of propaganda. Activists and insurgents also resorted to social and leisure means wherein male members of the rural areas could discuss politics and political issues in the guise of playing cards and drinking alcohol.
Peter McPhee
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198202257
- eISBN:
- 9780191675249
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198202257.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This book is a scholarly study of rural politics in France during the Second Republic (1848–52). The Revolution of 1848 and the subsequent regime changed the face of mass politics in France; ...
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This book is a scholarly study of rural politics in France during the Second Republic (1848–52). The Revolution of 1848 and the subsequent regime changed the face of mass politics in France; unprecedented numbers of French men and women participated in legal and illegal forms of political activity during a period of protracted crisis ultimately resolved by a military coup d'état. In exploring the neglected history of rural France in this period, the book draws on hundreds of regional studies to examine the large-scale political mobilizations of right and left in the countryside, and offers a new synthesis and interpretation of these years. The book shows that rural politics were both more complex and more threatening to urban élites than has been generally recognized, and provides an analysis of a turbulent period in modern French history and its long-term social and political consequences.Less
This book is a scholarly study of rural politics in France during the Second Republic (1848–52). The Revolution of 1848 and the subsequent regime changed the face of mass politics in France; unprecedented numbers of French men and women participated in legal and illegal forms of political activity during a period of protracted crisis ultimately resolved by a military coup d'état. In exploring the neglected history of rural France in this period, the book draws on hundreds of regional studies to examine the large-scale political mobilizations of right and left in the countryside, and offers a new synthesis and interpretation of these years. The book shows that rural politics were both more complex and more threatening to urban élites than has been generally recognized, and provides an analysis of a turbulent period in modern French history and its long-term social and political consequences.
Benson Michaela
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719082498
- eISBN:
- 9781781701843
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719082498.003.0002
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Social Groups
This chapter provides the context for migration. On the one hand, it introduces the respondents in the Lot, highlighting their common origins as members of the British middle class and the various ...
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This chapter provides the context for migration. On the one hand, it introduces the respondents in the Lot, highlighting their common origins as members of the British middle class and the various contexts that brought about their migration. On the other hand, it sets the scene for the remainder of the book, explaining migration, both as presented by the migrants and in the terms of the ethnographic analyst. It traces how the migrants recounted the decision to migrate, highlighting the potential for self-realization. It also critically assesses the explanations presented in the now seminal texts on British migration to rural France and builds upon them to draw attention to the cultural determinants that drive this form of migration.Less
This chapter provides the context for migration. On the one hand, it introduces the respondents in the Lot, highlighting their common origins as members of the British middle class and the various contexts that brought about their migration. On the other hand, it sets the scene for the remainder of the book, explaining migration, both as presented by the migrants and in the terms of the ethnographic analyst. It traces how the migrants recounted the decision to migrate, highlighting the potential for self-realization. It also critically assesses the explanations presented in the now seminal texts on British migration to rural France and builds upon them to draw attention to the cultural determinants that drive this form of migration.
Benson Michaela
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719082498
- eISBN:
- 9781781701843
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719082498.003.0006
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Social Groups
This chapter explores how the migrants understood their homes and what the migrants' home-making practices revealed about their identities and their lifestyle ambitions. It moves on from the wider ...
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This chapter explores how the migrants understood their homes and what the migrants' home-making practices revealed about their identities and their lifestyle ambitions. It moves on from the wider discussion of property selection that has characterized previous research on the British in rural France, to reveal the role of individual biographies, histories and desires in shaping the home. In particular, it opens the door on three different households, putting the material culture of these homes on public display. The various examples presented in the chapter demonstrate that while the home could be the site of new identities and ways of living, it could also be used as continuation of their lives before migration, allowing the migrants to retreat into the comfort and familiarity of their home in what remain unfamiliar social and physical environments.Less
This chapter explores how the migrants understood their homes and what the migrants' home-making practices revealed about their identities and their lifestyle ambitions. It moves on from the wider discussion of property selection that has characterized previous research on the British in rural France, to reveal the role of individual biographies, histories and desires in shaping the home. In particular, it opens the door on three different households, putting the material culture of these homes on public display. The various examples presented in the chapter demonstrate that while the home could be the site of new identities and ways of living, it could also be used as continuation of their lives before migration, allowing the migrants to retreat into the comfort and familiarity of their home in what remain unfamiliar social and physical environments.
Sarah Farmer
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- March 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190079079
- eISBN:
- 9780190079109
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190079079.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History, European Modern History
In post–World War II France, commitment to cutting-edge technological modernization and explosive economic growth uprooted rural populations and eroded the village traditions of a largely peasant ...
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In post–World War II France, commitment to cutting-edge technological modernization and explosive economic growth uprooted rural populations and eroded the village traditions of a largely peasant nation. And yet, this book argues, rural France did not vanish in the sweeping transformations of the 1950s and 1960s. The attachment of the French to rural ways and the agricultural past became a widely shared preoccupation in the 1970s; this, in turn, became an engine of change in its own right. Though the French countryside is often imagined as stable and enduring, this book presents it as a site not just of decline and loss, but also of change and adaptation. Rural Inventions explores the rise of restored peasant houses as second residences; utopian experiments in rural communes and in going back to the land; environmentalism; the literary success of peasant autobiographies; photography; and other representations through which the French revalorized rural life and landscapes. The peasantry as a social class may have died out, but the countryside persisted, valued as a site not only for agriculture but increasingly for sport and leisure, tourism, and social and political engagement; a place to dwell part-time as well as full-time; and a natural environment worth protecting. The postwar French state and the nation’s rural and urban inhabitants remade the French countryside in relation to the city and to the world at large, invoking not only traditional France but also creating a vibrant and evolving part of the France yet to come.Less
In post–World War II France, commitment to cutting-edge technological modernization and explosive economic growth uprooted rural populations and eroded the village traditions of a largely peasant nation. And yet, this book argues, rural France did not vanish in the sweeping transformations of the 1950s and 1960s. The attachment of the French to rural ways and the agricultural past became a widely shared preoccupation in the 1970s; this, in turn, became an engine of change in its own right. Though the French countryside is often imagined as stable and enduring, this book presents it as a site not just of decline and loss, but also of change and adaptation. Rural Inventions explores the rise of restored peasant houses as second residences; utopian experiments in rural communes and in going back to the land; environmentalism; the literary success of peasant autobiographies; photography; and other representations through which the French revalorized rural life and landscapes. The peasantry as a social class may have died out, but the countryside persisted, valued as a site not only for agriculture but increasingly for sport and leisure, tourism, and social and political engagement; a place to dwell part-time as well as full-time; and a natural environment worth protecting. The postwar French state and the nation’s rural and urban inhabitants remade the French countryside in relation to the city and to the world at large, invoking not only traditional France but also creating a vibrant and evolving part of the France yet to come.
Chantal Crenn
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780719096846
- eISBN:
- 9781526103925
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719096846.003.0004
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Anthropology, Global
Based on fieldwork among North African workers in the Bordeaux wine growing area of rural France, Crenn documents the relationship between locals and long established transnational groups. The size, ...
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Based on fieldwork among North African workers in the Bordeaux wine growing area of rural France, Crenn documents the relationship between locals and long established transnational groups. The size, generational differences and perception by locals, of these North African workers has changed over time, with new expectations. Despite integration in industry and social life over several decades, this group remain marginal. Crenn demonstrates that established long-term labour migrants are best viewed as transnationals, who creatively and selectively interpret their everyday practice to justify both their visions of themselves as North Africans and as active participants in French life. By creating their own food network, for instance, they can see themselves as comparable to, while different from, their French neighbours.Less
Based on fieldwork among North African workers in the Bordeaux wine growing area of rural France, Crenn documents the relationship between locals and long established transnational groups. The size, generational differences and perception by locals, of these North African workers has changed over time, with new expectations. Despite integration in industry and social life over several decades, this group remain marginal. Crenn demonstrates that established long-term labour migrants are best viewed as transnationals, who creatively and selectively interpret their everyday practice to justify both their visions of themselves as North Africans and as active participants in French life. By creating their own food network, for instance, they can see themselves as comparable to, while different from, their French neighbours.
Venus Bivar
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781469641188
- eISBN:
- 9781469641195
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469641188.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Environmental History
France is often held up as a bastion of gastronomic refinement and as a model of artisanal agriculture and husbandry. But French farming is not at all what it seems. Countering the standard stories ...
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France is often held up as a bastion of gastronomic refinement and as a model of artisanal agriculture and husbandry. But French farming is not at all what it seems. Countering the standard stories of gastronomy, tourism, and leisure associated with the French countryside, Venus Bivar portrays French farmers as hard-nosed businessmen preoccupied with global trade and mass production. With a focus on both the rise of big agriculture and the organic movement, Bivar examines the tumult of postwar rural France, a place fiercely engaged with crucial national and global developments. Delving into the intersecting narratives of economic modernization, the birth of organic farming, the development of a strong agricultural protest movement, and the rise of environmentalism, Bivar reveals a movement as preoccupied with maintaining the purity of the French race as of French food. What emerges is a story of how French farming conquered the world, bringing with it a set of ideas about place and purity with a darker origin story than we might have guessed.Less
France is often held up as a bastion of gastronomic refinement and as a model of artisanal agriculture and husbandry. But French farming is not at all what it seems. Countering the standard stories of gastronomy, tourism, and leisure associated with the French countryside, Venus Bivar portrays French farmers as hard-nosed businessmen preoccupied with global trade and mass production. With a focus on both the rise of big agriculture and the organic movement, Bivar examines the tumult of postwar rural France, a place fiercely engaged with crucial national and global developments. Delving into the intersecting narratives of economic modernization, the birth of organic farming, the development of a strong agricultural protest movement, and the rise of environmentalism, Bivar reveals a movement as preoccupied with maintaining the purity of the French race as of French food. What emerges is a story of how French farming conquered the world, bringing with it a set of ideas about place and purity with a darker origin story than we might have guessed.
