Moriarty, Kathleen
(2018)
DISORIENTATION: NATIONAL IDENTITY IN FRENCH CULTURAL PRODUCTIONS OF THE LATE TWENTIETH AND EARLY TWENTY-FIRST CENTURIES.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
This dissertation employs a selection of French cultural productions between 1986 and 2010 to analyse the divide between nationally promoted and personally experienced versions of French
national identity. In line with the rapidly shifting demographics of the French population, this work advocates for a new paradigm for the study of French national identity. I adapt Sara Ahmed’s use of the term disorientation in queer theory to foreground national identity as an
orientation not dissimilar to sexual orientation wherein persons living counter to normative expressions of Frenchness inevitably stand out from the crowd. The corpus reveals, however, that non-normative representations of French identity never completely disengage from French subjectivity. The underlying backgrounds or orientations that permeate society assume Frenchness as a fixed and common set of beliefs, desires, mannerisms, origins, and expectations.
The cultural productions of my study highlight the individual and familial deviations, which promote Frenchness as incredibly diverse and arduous to define. I examine examples of disoriented French identity through three main areas of inquiry: the cultural valuation of objects of national importance, international tourism, and the mother-child relationship. These three seemingly disparate topics together show France in its contemporary state as reimagined and distinct from the national narrative promoted by the nation-state.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
21 October 2018 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
17 April 2018 |
| Approval Date: |
21 October 2018 |
| Submission Date: |
2 October 2018 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
323 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > French |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
disorientation, nation, France, Bouraoui, Houellebecq, Varda, Darrieussecq, Sara Ahmed, motherhood, maternity, tourism, Musee d'Orsay, national identity |
| Date Deposited: |
22 Oct 2018 03:17 |
| Last Modified: |
22 Oct 2018 03:17 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/35375 |
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