War and Liberation in France - by H Footitt (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

This book, coinciding with the sixtieth anniversary of the Liberation of France, takes a unique approach to the events of 1944, by seeing them as shared experiences which brought ordinary Anglo-Americans and French people into contact with each other in a variety of different communities. The book looks at the Liberation through 5 case-studies: Normandy, Cherbourg, Provence, the Pyrénées-Orientales and Reims, and uses the words of participants at the time to describe the developing relationship between Liberators and Liberated.

Review Quotes

'This is a highly polished piece of writing which succeeds in telling the story of the Liberation from an international perspective, combining the American, British and French narratives, something which no-one else has truly done. It reveals that the Liberation was a multi-faceted event, taking place on several levels.' - Dr Nick Atkin, School of History, University of Reading

'This meticulously researched and well-illustrated book exploits insights from archives in London and various French cities. It asks fundamental questions about foreignness in the context of allies and friends (rather than acknowledged enemies), revises frequently held oversimplifications, and highlights complexities of human experience at a crucial phase in global history. It has messages too for the current situation in Iraq.' - Professor Hugh Clout, Modern and Contemporary France

'...War and Liberation in France has made an important contribution to our understanding of this period in French history.' - Dr Lynne Taylor, Reviews in History

About the Author

Hilary Footitt is Professor and Senior Research Fellow in the School of Languages and European Studies, University of Reading, UK. Her research interests include women in politics, war and liberation in France and the development of language policy. Previous publications include War and Liberation in France and Women, Europe and the New Languages of Politics . Hilary is Principal Investigator for the AHRC project, Languages at War, and is an editorial board member for the Journal of War and Culture Studies .