France & the Second World War: memory, trauma & identity

Aims

Aims

This module will discuss the evolving representations of the Second World War in French collective memory. It will use a wide variety of primary and secondary materials including newspaper articles, speeches, documentaries, films, short stories, diaries, eye-witness accounts and photographs to analyse the impact of the French experience of the war on the construction of national identity. The issues for discussion might include:

• the immediate post-war purges
• the construction and collapse of the ‘Resistance’ myth
• the extent, nature and legacy of collaboration
• the crimes against humanity trials of the 80’s and 90’s (Barbie, Papon etc.)
• the difficult post-war process of acknowledging and dealing with French involvement in the Holocaust and
• the continuing relevance of the war years to contemporary French politics and society.

Satisfactory completion of the course should enable students to:

• Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of some of the topics discussed
• Demonstrate an ability to undertake personal research
• Discuss sources in French from a critical perspective and develop arguments effectively
• Develop increased confidence and advanced accuracy in the production of French