France in Indochina: Colonial Encounters
- Binding: Hardcover
- Publisher: Berg Publishers
- Publish date: 01/01/2001
The period of French colonial rule in Indochina spanned some ninety years. Not only did it witness France's Fourth Republic's first experience (and loss) of colonial war, it also exemplified the often contradictory representations and perceptions of imperial identity, colonialism and the legacy of the 1789 Revolution. This book develops an intriguing socio-cultural account of France's own understanding of its role in Indochina and its relationship with the colony. The author brings together striking images from colonial expositions, metropolitan fiction, travel journalism, world exhibitions, popular song, gendered and familial representations as well as film to reveal the confusion over imperial identity that prevailed in France until the eve of the Second World War.
This authoritative work provides an important reevaluation of French Indochina and its legacy. Its interdisciplinary approach will be of interest to students of French history, colonial and postcolonial studies, cultural studies, literature, sociology and race.