From Near and Far relates the history of modern France from the French Revolution to the present. Noted historian Tyler Stovall considers how the history of France interacts with both the broader history of the world and the local histories of French communities, examining the impacts of Karl Marx, Ho Chi Minh, Paul Gauguin, and Josephine Baker alongside the rise of haute couture and the contemporary role of hip hop.

From Near and Far focuses on the interactions between France and three other parts of the world: Europe, the United States, and the French colonial empire. Taking this transnational approach to the history of modern France, Stovall shows how the theme of universalism, so central to modern French culture, has manifested itself in different ways over the last few centuries. Moreover, it emphasizes the importance of narrative to French history, that historians tell the story of a nation and a people by bringing together a multitude of stories and tales that often go well beyond its boundaries. In telling these stories From Near and Far gives the reader a vision of France both global and local at the same time.


Author: Tyler Stovall
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Published: 12/01/2022
Series: France Overseas: Studies in Empire and Decolonization
Pages: 294
Weight: 0.96lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.66d
ISBN: 9781496231505


Review Citation(s):
Choice 07/01/2023

About the Author
Tyler Stovall (1954-2021) was the dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Fordham University. He was the author or editor of a number of books, including White Freedom: The Racial History of an Idea and coeditor of The Black Populations of France: Histories from Metropole to Colony (Nebraska, 2022).