Euro-orientalism


Book Description

Drawing from a range of critical perspectives, in particular postcolonial, this book examines the relationship between perceptions of Russia and of Eastern Europe and the making of a 'Western' identity. It explores the ways in which the perception of certain characteristics of Russia and Eastern Europe, whether real or attributed, was shaped by (and used for) the construction of a liberal narrative of the West, which eventually became dominant. The focus of this inquiry is French culture, from the beginning of the debate about Russia among the philosophes (c.1740) to the consolidation of a professional field of Slavic studies (c.1880). A wide range of writing - literature, travel accounts, histories, political tracts, scientific journals, and parliamentary debates - is examined through the work of major authors (from Montesquieu, Diderot and Rousseau to Tocqueville, de Maistre and Guizot, from Mme. de Staël, Hugo and Balzac to Dumas, Michelet and Comte), as well as that of many less well known figures. The book also explores possible continuities between those first academic accounts of Russia and Eastern Europe and present-day scholarship in Europe and the USA, to show that the liberal ideological accounts constructed in the nineteenth century still to a great extent inform contemporary academic studies.




Vigée Le Brun


Book Description

Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (1755–1842) was one of the finest eighteenth-century french painters and among the most important women artists of all time. Celebrated for her expressive portraits of French royalty and aristocracy, and especially of her patron Marie Antoinette, Vigée Le Brun exemplified success and resourcefulness in an age when women were rarely allowed either. Because of her close association with the queen Vigée Le Brun was forced to flee France during the French Revolution. For twelve years she traveled throughout Europe, painting noble sitters in the courts of Naples, Russia, Austria, and Prussia. She returned to France in 1802, under the reign of Emperor Napoleon I, where her creativity continued unabated. This handsome volume details Vigée Le Brun's story, portraying a talented artist who nimbly negotiated a shifting political and geographic landscape. Essays by international scholars address the ease with which this self-taught artist worked with monarchs, the nobility, court officials and luminaries of arts and letters, many of whom attended her famous salons. The position of women artists in Europe and at the Salons of the period is also explored, as are the challenges faced by Vigée Le Brun during her exile. The ninety paintings and pastels included in this volume attest to Vigée Le Brun's superb sense of color and expression. They include exquisite depictions of counts and countesses, princes and princesses alongside mothers and children, including the artist herself and her beloved daughter, Julie. A chronology of the life of Vigée Le Brun and a map of her travels accompany the text, elucidating the peregrinations of this remarkable, independent painter.




Bibliography of Napoleon


Book Description




Bibliography of Napoleon


Book Description




La pathologie du pouvoir: vices, crimes et délits des gouvernants


Book Description

La singularité de la criminalité des gouvernants ou de leurs actes peccamineux réside dans la rareté des condamnations qu’ils ont subies. En examinant sur la longue durée, les formes de dénonciation de ces délits des hommes de pouvoir, le livre essaie de comprendre les raisons qui aboutissent à la rupture du consensus et à la remise en cause de l’acceptation sociale des traditions jusqu’alors tolérées (corruption, extorsion, abus en tout genre). Les différentes contributions examinent les conditions de ces condamnations, morales et politiques, et dessinent un tableau nuancé de ces pathologies du pouvoir qui loin d’être invariables dans le temps sont articulées aux paradigmes moraux de chaque société historique. Les contributeurs sont: Nathalie Barrandon, Anne-Catherine Baudoin, Franck Collard, Kathleen Crowther, Angela De Benedictis, Silvia Di Paolo, Julien Dubouloz, Patrick Gilli, Cedric Giraud, Thomas Granier, Laurent Guitton, Charles Guerin, Corinne Manchio, Nancy McLoughin, Hélène Ménard, Richard Newhauser, Flocel Sabaté, Armand Strubel, Julien Théry et Silvana Vecchio English: What is singular about the criminality of rulers or their sinful acts is how rarely they are convicted. Through a long-term study of the forms of denunciation of crimes committed by those who hold power, this book tries to understand the reasons that lead to breaking the consensus and calling into question the social acceptance of traditions which had hitherto been tolerated (corruption, extortion, different types of abuse). The various contributions investigate the moral and political conditions of these convictions, and give a well-balanced account of these pathologies of power: far from being invariable over time, they are consistent with the moral paradigms of each society in history.







Napoléon Et L'Europe


Book Description