The Americanization of France

Historian Singer offers a provocative . . . examination of the changing postwar French national identity, arguing that France stopped being a 'serious' nation when it abandoned its 'noble' colonial enterprise in favor of searching for self-centered American-style 'happiness.' Singer raises interesting questions about how to evaluate the role of de Gaulle, and his focus on the idea of 'happiness,' particularly his insistence on the significance of pop music, brings an important new area of focus to 1960s Americanization. * CHOICE *
Countering the notion that France has been and remains intractably anti-American, Singer instead argues that France began a transformation in the 1950s in which it shifted its focus from colonial concern with Algeria toward American-style celebration of personal happiness and an embrace of American culture and values, even suggesting that this embrace of America has proceeded 'too unabashedly in contemporary France.' He brings a biographical approach to the subject, examining key figures that illustrate the turn of soldiers from sober military values to seeking American-style materialism, the development of French rock and roll, and the contemporary 'full anchoring' of Americanization in France. * Book News, Inc. *
This elegantly well-written monograph . . . [adds] new layers and new material to the investigation of France’s complicated relationship with the United States during the latter part of the twentieth century, and now, by bringing consideration of the first years of the twenty-first century, to reflect on what case studies (such as, in passing, that of Lance Armstrong) can reveal about France’s ‘Americanization.’ The range of topics that are covered . . . provides stimulating food for thought in easily digestible prose. Apart from its great readability and frequent allusion to thought-provoking case studies, a great strength of this volume is its recourse . . . to direct testimony from actors of the period . . . whose views are combined with clear historical judgment to give intriguing insights. Where analysis is not based on primary research through interviews or archive work, the argument advances through lively, direct, and well-focused consideration of a plethora of topics. . . . An excellent, decent, and plain-speaking study of French culture, society, and politics, which is both intriguingly personal and academically historical, and which should serve to provoke thought amongst students and researchers alike. Highly recommended reading. * Modern and Contemporary France *
The Americanization of France will be of interest to scholars of French, American, and Algerian history, foreign policy, and culture. Barnett Singer’s lively, jargon-free prose makes the book accessible to undergraduates and other educated . . . readers. * Journal of American Culture *
[Singer draws] on an admirably eclectic reading, observation, and experience. . . .An engaging account of his . . . reflections on the ever-attractive French. * Historian *
[T]he book is intriguing, idiosyncratic, [and] entertaining. * Journal of Modern History *
[T]he book is well documented and the archival material is impressive. Singer has made real use of departmental archives. . . . The footnotes . . . demonstrate a deep familiarity with the literature on postwar France. . . . [He] does an excellent job describing the way terror deforms civil society. * H-France Review *
[I]n this engaging and sometimes brilliant book, Barnett Singer unlocks the mystery [of the enduring popularity of the singer Johnny Hallyday] and provides some very important clues about who Johnny Hallyday is and why he is so important in the story of postwar France.... Singer writes with a light and deft touch, but he is an impressively forensic researcher and his arguments are serious and sometimes groundbreaking.... It is to the great credit of a historian like Singer that he has started the work of excavating what it meant to be young and French at one of the crucial turning-points in the 20th century. * History Today *
This is a stimulating, provocative, and unusual book. . . . [Singer] has produced a useful, absorbing, and challenging addition to our understanding of contemporary French culture. * French Politics, Culture, and Society *
Compelling and provocative, The Americanization of France describes the shattering impact of the Algerian war on France and, in its wake, the French pursuit of happiness. Singer provides new and critical assessments of the bitter conflict—which divided France more profoundly than any other in its colonial history—as well as fresh and surprising insights into contemporary France. -- William A. Hoisington Jr., University of Illinois at Chicago
In The Americanization of France, Barnett Singer has created an insightful, provocative reinterpretation of the powerfully moving transition of a nation and people. His characterization of de Gaulle is stunning. . . . And his sharply crafted images of French singers and cultural icons will not only remain with readers long after this sparkling account has been returned to the shelf; they will define those celebrities for anyone who picks up this book. -- John W. Langdon, Le Moyne College
France today is an enigma, and Barnett Singer’s book is a crucial guide as it searches for its identity. -- Jeremy Black, University of Exeter, author of The World of James Bond: The Lives and Times of 007