Branding the Beur Author focuses on the mainstream media promotion of literature written by the descendants of North African immigrants to France (often called beurs). These conversations between journalists and 'beur' authors delve into contemporary debates such as the explosion of racism in the 1980s and the purported role of Islam in French society in the 1990s. But the interests of journalists looking for sensational subject matter also heavily shape the promotion and reception of these novels: only the 'beur' authors who employ a realist style to write about the challenges faced by the...

French Cultural Studies for the Twenty-First Century brings together current scholarship on a diverse range of topics--from French postcards and Third Republic menus to Haitian literary magazines and representation of race in vaudeville theater--in order to provide methodological insight into the current practice of French cultural studies. The essays in the volume show how scholars of French studies can effectively analyze what we term -non-traditional sources- in their historical and geographical contexts. In doing so, the volume offers a compelling vision of the field today and maps out...