Culture of France 98988 225998488 2008-07-16T11:22:38Z BertSen 3217096 [[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 225976713 by [[Special:Contributions/121.72.172.57|121.72.172.57]] ([[User talk:121.72.172.57|talk]]) [[Image:Eugène Delacroix - La liberté guidant le peuple.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Masterpiece]] painting by [[Eugène Delacroix]] called '''[[Liberty Leading the People]]''' portrays the [[July Revolution]] using the stylistic views of [[Romanticism]]. Since Liberty is part of the motto «[[Liberté, égalité, fraternité]]», as the French put it, this painting became the primary symbol of the [[France|French Republic]].]] The '''[[culture]] of [[France]]''' and of the [[French people]] has been shaped by its [[Geography of France|geography]], by profound [[History of France|historical events]], and by foreign and internal forces and groups. France, and in particular [[Paris]], has played an important role as a center of [[high culture]] and of [[decorative arts]] since the seventeenth century, first in Europe, and from the nineteenth century on, world wide. From the late nineteenth century, France has also played an important role in [[modern art]], [[film| cinema]], [[fashion]] and [[cuisine]]. The importance of French culture has waned and waxed over the centuries, depending on its economic, political and military importance. French culture today is marked both by great regional and socioeconomic differences and by strong unifying tendencies. ==What is "French" culture?== Culture, whether in France, Europe or in general, consists of beliefs and values learned through the socialization process as well as material artifacts.<ref>Jary, D. and J. Jary. 1991. ''The HarperCollins Dictionary of Sociology'', page 101.</ref><ref>Hoult, T. F, ed. 1969. ''Dictionary of Modern Sociology,'' p. 93.</ref> Culture guides the social interactions between members of society and influences the personal beliefs and values that shape a person's perception of their environment: "Culture is the learned set of beliefs, values, norms and material goods shared by group members... Culture consists of everything we learn in groups during the life course-from infancy to old age."<ref name="Society in Focus">{{cite book | last = Thompson | first = William | authorlink = | coauthors = Joseph Hickey | year = 2005 | title = ''Society in Focus'' | publisher = Pearson | location = Boston, MA | id = 0-205-41365-X}}</ref> The conception of "French" culture however poses certain difficulties and presupposes a series of assumptions about what precisely the expression "French" means. Whereas [[Culture of the United States|American culture]] posits the notion of the "[[melting-pot]]" and [[cultural diversity]], the expression "French culture" tends to refer implicitly to a specific geographical entity (as, say, "[[metropolitan France]]", generally excluding its [[overseas department]]s) or to a specific historico-sociological group defined by ethnicity, language, religion and geography. The realities of "Frenchness" however, are extremely complicated. Even before the late nineteenth century, "metropolitan France" was largely a patchwork of local customs and regional differences that the unifying aims of the [[Ancien Régime in France|Ancien Régime]] and the [[French Revolution]] had only begun to work against, and today's France remains a nation of numerous indigenous and foreign languages, of multiple ethnicities and religions, and of regional diversity that includes French citizens in [[Corsica]], [[Guadeloupe]], [[Martinique]] and elsewhere around the globe. The creation of some sort of typical or shared French culture or "[[cultural identity]]", despite this vast heterogeneity, is the result of powerful internal forces &mdash; such as the French educational system, mandatory military service, state linguistic and cultural policies &mdash; and by profound historic events &mdash; such as the [[Franco-Prussian war]] and the two [[World War]]s &mdash; which have forged a sense of national identity over the last 200 years. However, despite these unifying forces, France today still remains marked by social class and by important regional differences in culture (cuisine, dialect/accent, local traditions) that many fear will be unable to withstand contemporary social forces (depopulation of the countryside, immigration, centralization, market forces and the world economy). In recent years, to fight the loss of regional diversity, many in France have promoted forms of [[multiculturalism]] and encouraged cultural enclaves (''communautarisme''), including reforms on the preservation of regional languages and the decentralization of certain government functions, but French multiculturalism has had a harder time of accepting, or of integrating into the collective identity, the large non-Christian and immigrant communities and groups that have come to France since the 1960s. The last fifty years has also seen French cultural identity "threatened" by global market forces and by American "[[cultural hegemony]]". Since its dealings with the 1993 [[General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade|GATT]] [[free trade]] negotiations, France has fought for what it calls the ''[[Cultural exception|exception culturelle]]'', meaning the right to subsidize or treat favorably domestic cultural production and to limit or control foreign cultural products (as seen in public funding for [[French cinema]] or the lower [[Value added tax|VAT]] accorded to books). The notion of an explicit ''exception française'' however has angered many of France's critics<ref>see, for example, Jonathan Fenby: ''On the Brink; the Trouble with France'' Warner Books London, 1998</ref>. The French are often perceived as taking a great pride in national identity and the positive achievements of France (the expression "[[chauvinism]]" is of French origin) and cultural issues are more integrated in the body of the politics than elsewhere (see "The Role of the State", below). The [[French Revolution]] claimed [[universalism]] for the democratic principles of the Republic. [[Charles de Gaulle]] actively promoted a notion of French "grandeur" ("greatness"). Perceived declines in cultural status are a matter of national concern and have generated national debates, both from the left (as seen in the anti-globalism of [[José Bové]]) and from the right and far right (as in the discourses of the [[National Front (France)|National Front]]). According to [[Geert Hofstede|Hofstede's Framework for Assessing Culture]], the culture of France is moderately individualistic and has a relatively high Power Distance Index. ==Ethnicity and nationality== {{main|French people|Demographics of France}} Since the beginning of the [[French Third Republic|Third Republic]] (1871-1940), the state has not categorized people according to their alleged ethnic origins. Hence, in contrast to the [[United States Census|US census]], French people are not asked to define their ethnic appartenance, whichever it may be. The usage of ethnic and racial categorization is avoided to prevent any case of discrimination; the same regulations apply to religious membership data which cannot be compiled under the French Census. This classic French republican non-[[essentialist]] conception of nationality is officialized by the [[French Constitution]], according to whom "French" is a [[French nationality law|nationality]], and not a specific ethnicity. This ideal not withstanding, the history textbooks (used both in France and its colonies) of the Third Republic are famous for their opening lines: "Our ancestors the [[Gaul]]s...". In past years, the debate on social [[discrimination]] has been more and more important, sometimes mixing itself with [[ethnic]] issues &mdash; as by the ''[[Front National]]'' 's [[nationalism|nationalist]] [[discourse]] of ''La France aux Français'' ("France to the French") or ''Les Français d'abord'' ("French first"); their claims of an "ethnic French" group (''Français de souche'', which literally translated as "French with roots") have been adamantly refused by many other groups, which widely considered this party as [[racist]][http://www.well.ac.uk/cfol/lefront.asp] &mdash; in particular concerning the so-called "second-generation immigrants", who are French citizens born in France to immigrant parents (whom themselves may either be foreigner or French)<ref>{{en icon}} {{fr icon}} See for example Laurent Mouloud, "The Anger of the Suburbs", transl. [[November 6]], [[2005]], accessible on [http://www.humaniteinenglish.com/ www.humaniteinenglish.com] (in French, {{Cite news | title=La colère des banlieues | date=2005-11-05 | accessdate=2006-05-03|publisher=[[L'Humanité]]|url=http://www.humanite.fr/journal/2005-11-05/2005-11-05-817323}} </ref> France has exhibited a high rate of immigration from [[Europe]], [[Africa]] and [[Asia]] throughout the 20th century, explaining that a large minority of the French [[population]] has various ethnic ascendancies. According to Michèle Tribalat, researcher at [[INED]], it is very difficult to estimate the number of French immigrants or those born to immigrants, because of the absence of official statistics. Only three attempts have been made: in 1927, 1942 and 1986. According to this 2004 study, among about 14 million people of foreign ascendancy ([[immigrants]] or with at least one parent or grandparent who is an immigrant), 5.2 million are from [[Southern Europe|South-European]] ascendancy (Italy, Spain, Portugal), and 3 million come from the [[Maghreb]].<ref> [http://www.ined.fr/publications/population/2004/t1-04F.html#tribalat Michèle Tribalat's study] ([[INED]]) </ref> Henceforth, 23&nbsp;% of French citizens have at least one immigrant parent or grandparent. No recognized studies have been done covering wider timescales since mass [[immigration]] started in the 20th century. Now, the [[interracial]] blending of some native French and newcomers stands as a vibrant and boasted feature of French culture, from popular music to movies and literature. Therefore, alongside mixing of populations, exists also a cultural blending (''le métissage culturel'') that is present in France. It may be compared to the traditional US conception of the [[melting-pot]]. The French culture might have been already blended in from other races and ethnicities, in cases of some biographical research on the possibility of [[African]] ancestry on a small number of famous French citizens. Author [[Alexandre Dumas, père]] possessed one-fourth black Haitian descent,<ref>{{cite book | last=Dumas, père | first= Alexandre | authorlink=Alexandre Dumas, père |title=Mes Mémoires | publisher=Cadot |year= 1852-1854}}</ref> and [[Empress Josephine]] [[Napoleon]] who was born and raised in the [[French West Indies]] from a plantation estate family. We can mention as well, the most famous French singer [[Edith Piaf]] whose grandmother was a North African from [[Kabyle people|Kabylie]]<ref>Aïcha Saïd Ben Mohamed (1876 - 1930) was born in [[Kabyle people|Kabylie]], ''Généalogie Magazine, N° 233, p. 30/36''</ref>. For a long time, the only objection to such outcomes predictably came from the far-right schools of thought. In the past few years, other unexpected voices are however beginning to question what they interpret, as the [[New Philosophers|new philosopher]] [[Alain Finkielkraut]] coined the term, as an "ideology of miscegenation" (''une idéologie du métissage'') that may come from what one other philosopher, [[Pascal Bruckner]], defined as the "sob of the White man" (''le sanglot de l'homme blanc''). These critics have been dismissed by the mainstream and their propagators have been labelled as new reactionaries (''les nouveaux réactionnaires'')<ref>Le Point, February, 8 2007</ref>, even if racist and anti-immigration sentiment has recently been documented to be increasing in France at least according to one poll<ref> {{Cite news | title=One in three French 'are racist' | date=2006-03-22 | accessdate=2006-05-03|publisher=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4832238.stm}}</ref>. Such critics, including [[Nicolas Sarkozy]], the current [[President of the French Republic|President of France]], take example on the United States' conception of [[multiculturalism]] to claim that France has consistently denied the existence of ethnic groups within their borders and has refused to grant them specific rights. ==Language== {{main|French language|Languages of France|Language policy in France}} French culture is profoundly allied with the [[French language]]. The artful use of the mother tongue, and its defense against perceived decline or corruption by foreign terms, is a major preoccupation for some people and entities. The [[Académie française]] sets an official standard of language purity; however, this standard, which is not mandatory, is even occasionally ignored by the government itself: for instance, the left-wing government of [[Lionel Jospin]] pushed for the feminization of the names of some functions (''madame la ministre'') while the ''Académie'' pushed for some more traditional ''madame le ministre''. Some action has been taken by the government in order to promote French culture and the French language. For instance, there exists a system of subsidies and preferential loans for supporting [[French cinema]]. The [[Toubon law]], from the name of the conservative culture minister who promoted it, makes it mandatory to use French in advertisements directed to the general public. Note that contrary to some misconception sometimes found in the Anglophone media, the French government neither regulates the language used by private parties in non-commercial settings, nor makes it compulsory that France-based [[WWW]] sites should be in French. France counts many regional languages, some of them being very different from standard French such as [[Breton language|Breton]] and [[Alsatian language|Alsatian]]. Some regional languages are [[Romance language|Romance]], like French, such as [[Provençal]]. The [[Basque language]] is completely unrelated to French and, indeed, to any other language in the world; its area straddles the border between the south west of France and the north of Spain. Many of those languages have enthusiastic advocates; however, the real importance of local languages remains subject to debate. In April 2001, the Minister of Education, [[Jack Lang (French politician)|Jack Lang]], admitted formally that for more than two centuries, the political powers of the French government had repressed regional languages, and announced that bilingual education would, for the first time, be recognized, and bilingual teachers recruited in French public schools. ==Religion== {{main|Religion in France}} France is a [[secularism|secular]] country where [[freedom of thought]] and of [[freedom of religion|religion]] is preserved, by virtue of the 1789 [[Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen]]. The [[French Fifth Republic|Republic]] is based on the principle of ''[[laïcité]]'', that is of freedom of religion (including of [[agnosticism]] and [[atheism]]) enforced by the [[Jules Ferry laws]] and the [[1905 law on the separation of the State and the Church]], enacted at the beginning of the [[French Third Republic|Third Republic]] (1871-1940). A January 2007 poll found that 51% of the French population describe themselves as Catholics -- and only half of those said they believed in God--, 31% as atheists, 4% as Muslims, 3% as Protestants and 1% as Jews.<ref>{{ro icon}} [http://www.cotidianul.ro/index.php?id=8749&art=22782&cHash=597202ac5o Franţa nu mai e o ţară catolică] (''France is no longer a Catholic country''), ''[[Cotidianul]]'', 2007-01-11; [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/10/wfra10.xml "France 'no longer a Catholic country'", [[Daily Telegraph]], 10 January 2007]</ref> ===Catholicism=== {{main|Roman Catholicism in France}} [[Roman Catholicism]] is no longer considered the [[state religion]], as it was before the [[French Revolution|1789 Revolution]] and throughout the various, non-republican regimes of the 19th century (the [[Restauration]], the [[July Monarchy]] and the [[Second French Empire|Second Empire]]). The Official split of Catholic Church and State ("Séparation de l'Eglise et de l'Etat") took place in 1905, and this major reform emphazises the Laicist and anti-clericalist mood of French Radical Republicans in this period. At the beginning of the 20th century, France was a largely rural country with conservative Catholic mores, but in the hundred years since then, the countryside has become depopulated, and the population has largely become more secular. A December 2006 poll by Harris Interactive, published in ''[[The Financial Times]]'', found that 32% of the French population described themselves as [[agnostic]], a further 32% as [[atheist]] and only 27% believed in any type of God or supreme being.<ref>[http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/14255 Religion Important for Americans, Italians], Angus Reid Global Monitor, December 30, 2006</ref> ===Islam=== {{main|Islam in France}} After Catholicism, [[Islam]] is the second largest faith in France today, and the country has the largest Muslim population (in percentage) of any Western European country. This is a result of immigration and permanent family settlement in France, from the 1960s on, of groups from, principally, North Africa ([[Morocco]], [[Algeria]], [[Tunisia]]) and, to a lesser extent, other areas such as [[Turkey]] and [[West Africa]].<ref>Kidd and Reynolds, 104-5.</ref> While it is prohibited in France for the government census to collect data on religious beliefs, estimates and polls place the percentage of Muslims at between 4% and 7% <ref>Kidd and Reynolds, for example, give a figure of 4 million Muslims, or 6.9%, based on sources dated 1993, 1994, 1999. (102). See [[Islam in France]] for more on recent estimates.</ref>. The Muslim population in France has had to deal with many difficulties in terms of social and cultural integration into mainstream French society, stemming both from socioeconomic issues (unskilled jobs, low incomes, poor neighborhoods, etc.) and ethnic and religious issues (prejudice, concerns over "radical Islam", problems of integration into a secular country, etc.) that have been exemplified in recent years through civil unrest in working-class and immigrant suburbs (see, for example, [[2005 civil unrest in France]]) and legal/political issues (such as the "[[French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools|affair of the Islamic headscarf]]") ===Judaism=== {{main|History of the Jews in France}} The current [[Religions in France|Jewish community in France]] numbers around 600,000, according to the [[World Jewish Congress]] and 500,000 according to the Appel Unifié Juif de France, and is found mainly in the metropolitan areas of [[Paris]], [[Marseille]] and [[Strasbourg]]. The [[history]] of the [[Jew]]s of [[France]] dates back over 2,000 years. In the early [[Middle Ages]], France was a center of Jewish learning, but persecution increased as the Middle Ages wore on. France was the first country in Europe to emancipate its Jewish population during the [[French Revolution]], but, despite legal equality anti-Semitism remained an issue, as illustrated in the [[Dreyfus affair]] of the late 19th century. Despite the death of a quarter of all French Jews during the [[Holocaust]], France currently has the largest [[Jewish population]] in [[Europe]]. French Jews are mostly [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardic]] and span a range of religious affiliations, from the ultra-Orthodox [[Haredi]] communities to the large segment of Jews who are entirely secular. === Buddhism=== {{main|Buddhism in France}} [[Buddhism]] is widely reported to be the fourth largest religion in [[France]], after Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. France has over two hundred Buddhist meditation centers, including about twenty sizable retreat centers in rural areas. The Buddhist population mainly consists of [[China|Chinese]] and [[Vietnam]]ese immigrants, with a substantial minority of native French converts and “sympathizers.” The rising popularity of Buddhism in France has been the subject of considerable discussion in the French media and academy in recent years. ===Cults and new religious movements=== France created in 2006 the first [[French parliamentary commission on cult activities]] which led to a report registering a number of [[cult]]s considered as dangerous. Supporters of such movements have criticized the report on the grounds of [[Status of religious freedom in France|the respect of religious freedom]]. Proponents of the measure contend that only dangerous cults have been listed as such, and state secularism insures religious freedom in France. ==Regional customs and traditions== Modern France is the result of centuries of nation building and the acquisition and incorporation of a number of [[Provinces of France|historical provinces]] and [[Overseas departments|overseas colonies]] into its geographical and political structure. These regions all evolved with their own specific cultural and linguistic traditions in fashion, religious observance, regional language and accent, family structure, cuisine, leisure activities, industry, etc. The evolution of the French state and culture, from the Renaissance to today, has however promoted a [[centralization]] of politics, media, and cultural production in and around [[Paris]] (and, to a lesser extent, around the other major urban centers), and the industrialization of the country in the twentieth century has led to a massive move of French people from the countryside to urban areas. At the end of the nineteenth century, around 50% of the French depended on the land for a living; today French farmers only make up 6-7%, while 73% live in cities.<ref>Kidd and Reynolds, 30-31.</ref> [[French literature of the 19th century|Nineteenth century French literature]] abounds in scenes of provincial youth "coming up" to Paris to "make it" in the cultural, political or social scene of the capital (this scheme is frequent in the novels of [[Balzac]]). Policies enacted by the [[French Third Republic]] also encouraged this displacement through mandatory military service, a centralized national educational system, and suppression of regional languages. While government policy and public debate in France in recent years has returned to a valorization of regional differences and a call for decentralization of certain aspects of the public sphere (sometimes with ethnic, racial or reactionary overtones), the history of regional displacement and the nature of the modern urban environment and of mass media and culture have made the preservation of a regional "sense of place or culture" in today's France extremely difficult. <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Alsace-paysan.png|thumb|right|200px|Traditional Alsatian rural life]] --> The names of the historical French provinces &mdash; such as [[Brittany]],[[Berry (province)|Berry]], [[Orléanais]], [[Normandy]], [[Languedoc]], [[Lyonnais]], [[Dauphiné]], [[Champagne (province)|Champagne]], [[Poitou]], [[Guyenne]] and [[Gascony]], [[Burgundy]], [[Picardy]], [[Provence]],[[Berry (province)|Berry]], [[Touraine]], [[Limousin (province)|Limousin]], [[Auvergne (province)|Auvergne]], [[Béarn]], [[Alsace]], [[Flanders (county)|Flanders]], [[Lorraine (province)|Lorraine]], [[Corsica]], [[Savoy]]... (please see individual articles for specifics about each regional culture) &mdash; are still used to designate natural, historical and cultural regions, and many of them appear in modern région or département names. These names are also used by the French in their self-identification of family origin. Regional identification is most pronounced today in cultures linked to non-French languages like [[Corsu]], [[Català]], [[Occitan]], [[Alsatian language|Alsatian]], [[Basque Country (historical territory)|Basque]] and Brezhoneg ([[Breton]]), and some of these regions have promoted movements calling for some degree of regional autonomy, and, occasionally, national independence (see, for example, [[Breton nationalism]] and [[Corsica]]). There are huge differences in life style, socioeconomic status and world view between Paris and the provinces. The French often use the expression "la [[France profonde]]" ("Deep France", similar to "[[heartland]]") to designate the profoundly "French" aspects of provincial towns, village life and rural agricultural culture, which escape the hegemony of Paris. The expression can however have a pejorative meaning, similar to the expression "le désert français" ("the French desert") used to describe a lack of acculturation of the provinces. Another expression, "[[terroir]]" is a French term originally used for wine and coffee to denote the special characteristics that geography bestowed upon these products. It can be very loosely translated as "a sense of place" which is embodied in certain qualities, and the sum of the effects that the local environment (especially the "soil") has had on the growth of the product. The use of the term has since been generalized to talk about many cultural products. In addition to its metropolitan territory, France also consists of [[overseas departments]] made up of its former [[French colonial empire|colonies]] of [[Guadeloupe]], [[Martinique]] and [[French Guiana]] in the [[Caribbean]], and [[Réunion]] in the [[Indian Ocean]]. (There also exist a number of "[[Overseas collectivity|overseas collectivities]] and "[[Overseas territory (France)|overseas territories]]". For a full discussion, see [[administrative divisions of France]]. Since 1982, following the [[Government of France|French government]]’s policy of [[decentralisation]], overseas departments have elected regional councils with powers similar to those of the [[Regions of France|regions]] of metropolitan France. As a result of a constitutional revision which occurred in 2003, these regions are now to be called [[overseas regions]].) These overseas departments have the same political status as metropolitan departments and are integral parts of [[France]], similar to how [[Hawaii]] is a state and an integral part of the [[United States]], yet they also have specific cultural and linguistic traditions which set them apart. Certain elements of overseas culture have also been introduced to metropolitan culture (as, for example, the musical form the [[biguine]]). Industrialization, immigration and urbanization in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have also created new socioeconomic regional communities in France, both urban (like [[Paris]], [[Lyon]], [[Villeurbanne]], [[Lille]], [[Marseille]], etc.) and the suburban and working class hinterlands (like [[Seine-Saint-Denis]]) of urban agglomerations (called variously ''[[banlieue]]s'' ("[[suburb]]s", sometimes qualified as "chic" or "pauvres") or ''les cités'' ("[[housing project]]s") which have developed their own "sense of place" and local culture (much like the various [[borough (New York City)|boroughs]] of [[New York City]] or suburbs of [[Los Angeles]]), as well as cultural identity. ==Other specific communities== ===Romani=== France has an estimated 280,000-340,000 [[Romani people|Roma]], generally known as ''Gitans'', ''Tsiganes'', ''Romanichels'' (slightly pejorative), ''Bohémiens'', or ''Gens du voyage'' ("travellers"). ===LGBT=== {{main|LGBT rights in France}} There are large gay and lesbian communities in the cities, particularly in the [[Paris]] metropolitan area (such as in [[Le Marais]] district of the capital). Although homosexuality is perhaps not as well tolerated in France as in [[Spain]], [[Scandinavia]], and the [[Benelux]] nations, surveys of the French public reveal a considerable shift in attitudes comparable to other Western European nations. As of 2001, 55% of the French consider homosexuality "an acceptable lifestyle."<ref>[http://www.ambafrance-us.org/atoz/pacs.asp Embassy of France in the US - The PACS - A civil solidarity pact<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The current mayor of Paris, [[Bertrand Delanoë]], is gay. In 2006, an Ipsos survey shows that 62% support same-sex marriage, while 37% were opposed. 55% believed gay and lesbian couples should not have parenting rights, while 44% believe same-sex couples should be able to adopt.<ref>[http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/12/121406france.htm Gay News From 365Gay.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ===Other subcultures=== [[Paris]] has traditionally been associated with alternative, artistic or intellectual subcultures, many of which involved foreigners. Such subcultures include the "[[Bohemianism|Bohemians]]" of the mid-nineteenth century, the [[Impressionism|Impressionists]], artistic circles of the [[Belle époque]] (around such artists as [[Picasso]] and [[Alfred Jarry]]), the [[Dada]]ists, [[Surrealism|Surrealists]], the "[[Lost Generation]]" ([[Ernest Hemingway|Hemingway]], [[Gertrude Stein]]) and the post-war "intellectuals" associated with [[Montparnasse]] ([[Jean-Paul Sartre]], [[Simone de Beauvoir]]). ==Social class== {{main|Social class in France}} Despite the egalitarian aspects of French society, French culture remains marked by social-economic class and by many class distinctions. ==Families and romantic relationships== ===Household structure=== Growing out of the values of the Catholic church and rural communities, the basic unit of French society was traditionally held to be the family .<ref>Kelley, "Family", 100.</ref> Over the twentieth century, the "traditional" family structure in France has evolved from [[extended families]] to, after [[World War II]], [[nuclear family|nuclear families]]. Since the 1960s, marriages have decreased and divorces have increased in France, and divorce law and legal family status have evolved to reflect these social changes.<ref>''Ibid.''</ref> According to [[INSEE]] figures, household and family composition in [[metropolitan France]] continues to evolve. Most significantly, from 1982 to 1999, [[single parent household|single parent families]] have increased from 3.6% to 7.4%; there have also been increases in the number of [[unmarried couple]]s, childless couples, and single men (from 8.5% to 12.5) and women (from 16.0% to 18.5%). Their analysis indicates that "one in three dwellings are occupied by a person living alone; one in four dwellings are occupied by a childless couple." [http://www.insee.fr/en/ffc/chifcle_fiche.asp?ref_id=NATTEF02313&tab_id=31] Voted by the [[French Parliament]] in November 1999 following some controversy, the ''[[pacte civil de solidarité]]'' ("civil pact of solidarity") commonly known as a ''PACS'', is a form of [[civil union]] between two adults (same-sex or opposite-sex) for organising their joint life. It brings rights and responsibilities, but less so than [[marriage]]. From a legal standpoint, a PACS is a "contract" drawn up between the two individuals, which is stamped and registered by the clerk of the court. Individuals who have registered a PACS are still considered "single" with regard to family status for some purposes, while they are increasingly considered in the same way as married couples are for other purposes. While it was pushed by the government of [[Prime Minister of France|Prime Minister]] [[Lionel Jospin]] in 1998, it was also opposed, mostly by people on the [[right-wing]] who support traditionalist [[family values]] and who argued that PACS and the recognition of homosexual unions would be disastrous for French society. [[Same-sex marriage in France|Same-sex marriage]] is however not legal in France. ==Role of the State== The French state has traditionally played a key role in promoting and supporting culture through the educational, linguistic, cultural and economic policies of the government and through its promotion of national identity. Because of the closeness of this relationship, cultural changes in France are often linked to, or produce, political crisis.<ref>Kelley, 246-7.</ref> The relationship between the French state and culture is an old one. Under [[Louis XIII of France|Louis XIII]]'s minister [[Richelieu]], the independent [[Académie française]] came under state supervision and became an official organ of control over the French language and seventeenth-century literature. During [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]]'s reign, his minister [[Jean-Baptiste Colbert]] brought French luxury industries, like textile and porcelain, under royal control and the architecture, furniture, fashion and etiquette of the royal court (particularly at the [[Château de Versailles]]) became the preeminent model of noble culture in France (and, to a great degree, throughout Europe) during the latter half of the seventeenth century. At times, French state policies have sought to unify the country around certain cultural norms, while at other times they have promoted regional differences within a heterogeneous French identity. The unifying effect was particularly true of the "radical period"" of the [[French Third Republic]] which fought regionalisms (including regional languages), supported anti-clericalism and a strict separation of church from state (including education) and actively promoted national identity, thus converting (as the historian [[Eugen Weber]] has put it) a "country of peasants into a nation of Frenchmen". The [[Vichy Regime]], on the other hand, promoted regional "folk" traditions. The cultural policies of the (current) [[French Fifth Republic]] have been varied, but a consensus seems to exist around the need for preservation of French regionalisms (such as food and language) as long as these don't undermine national identity. Meanwhile, the French state remains ambivalent over the integration into "French" culture of cultural traditions from recent immigrant groups and from foreign cultures, particularly American culture (movies, music, fashion, fast food, language, etc.). There also exists a certain fear over the perceived loss of French identity and culture in the European system and under American "cultural hegemony". ===Education=== {{main|Education in France}} The French educational system is highly centralised, organised, and ramified. It is divided into three different stages: * primary education (''enseignement primaire''); * secondary education (''enseignement secondaire''); * higher education (''enseignement supérieur"). Primary and secondary education is predominantly public (private schools also exist, in particular a strong nationwide network of primary and secondary [[Catholic education]]), while higher education has both public and private elements. At the end of secondary education, students take the [[baccalauréat]] exam, which allows them to pursue higher education. The baccalauréat pass rate in 1999 was 78.3%. In 1999–2000, educational spending amounted to 7% of the French GDP and 37% of the national budget. Since the [[Jules Ferry laws]] of 1881-2, named after the then Minister of Public Instruction, all state-funded schools, including universities, are independent from the (roman catholic) church. Education in these institutions is free. Non-secular institutions are allowed to organize education as well. The French educational system differs strongly from Northern-European and American systems in that it stresses the importance of the development of the individual as an independent intellectual rather than a productive servant (of the State or the Company).{{Fact|date=December 2007}} Secular educational policy has become critical in recent issues of French multiculturalism, as in the "[[French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools|affair of the Islamic headscarf]]". ===Minister of Culture=== {{main|Minister of Culture (France)}} The Minister of Culture is, in the [[Government of France]], the [[French government ministers|cabinet member]] in charge of national museums and monuments; promoting and protecting the arts (visual, plastic, theatrical, musical, dance, architectural, literary, televisual and cinematographic) in France and abroad; and managing the national archives and regional "maisons de culture" (culture centres). The Ministry of Culture is located on the [[Palais Royal]] in [[Paris]]. The modern post of Minister of Culture was created by [[Charles de Gaulle]] in 1959 and the first Minister was the writer [[André Malraux]]. Malraux was responsible for realizing the goals of the "droit à la culture" ("the right to culture") -- an idea which had been incorporated in the [[French constitution]] and the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]] (1948) -- by [[Cultural democracy|democratizing access to culture]], while also achieving the [[Gaullism|Gaullist]] aim of elevating the "grandeur" ("greatness") of post-war France. To this end, he created numerous regional cultural centres throughout France and actively sponsored the arts. Malraux's artistic tastes included the modern arts and the avant-garde, but on the whole he remained conservative. Under president [[François Mitterrand]] the Minister of Culture was [[Jack Lang (French politician)|Jack Lang]] who showed himself to be far more open to popular cultural production, including [[jazz]], [[rock and roll]], [[rap music]], [[graffiti]] art ("[[graffiti#Modern graffiti|tagging]]"), [[cartoon]]s, [[comic books]], fashion and food. His famous phrase "économie et culture, même combat" ("economy and culture: it's the same fight") is representative of his commitment to [[cultural democracy]] and to active national sponsorship and participation in cultural production. He was also responsible for the massive architectural program of the Mitterrand years (the so-called "Grands Travaux" or "Great Works"). The Ministry of [[Jacques Toubon]] was notable for a number of laws (the "[[Toubon Law]]s") enacted for the preservation of the [[French language]], both in advertisements (all ads must include a French translation of foreign words) and on the radio (40% of songs on French radio stations must be in French), ostensibly in reaction to the presence of English. ===Académie française=== {{main|Académie française}} The ''Académie française'', or the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the [[French language]]. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by [[Cardinal Richelieu]], the chief minister to [[Louis XIII of France|King Louis XIII]]. Suppressed in 1793 during the [[French Revolution]], it was restored in 1803 by [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon Bonaparte]] (the Académie considers itself having been suspended, not suppressed, during the revolution). It is the oldest of the five ''académies'' of the [[Institut de France]]. The Académie consists of forty members, known as ''immortels'' (immortals). New members are elected by the members of the Académie itself. Académicians hold office for life, but they may be removed for misconduct. The body has the task of acting as an official authority on the language; it is charged with publishing an official dictionary of the language. Its rulings, however, are only advisory; not binding on either the public or the government. ===Military service=== Until 1996, France had compulsory [[military service]] of young men. This has been credited by historians for further promoting a unified national identity and by breaking down regional isolationism. ===Labor and employment policy=== In France the first labour laws were [[Waldeck Rousseau]]'s laws passed in 1884. Between 1936 and 1938 the [[Popular Front (France)|Popular Front]] enacted a law mandating 12 days (2 weeks) each year of paid [[vacation]] for workers, and a [[Matignon Accords (1936)|law]] limiting the work week to 40 hours, excluding overtime. The [[:fr:Accords de Grenelle|Grenelle accords]] negotiated on May 25th and 26th in the middle of the May 1968 crisis, reduced the working week to 44 hours and created trade union sections in each enterprise.<ref>[[:fr:section syndicale d'entreprise|fr:section syndicale d'entreprise]]'' December 27, 1968 law</ref> The minimum wage was also increased by 25%.<ref>[[:fr:Salaire minimum interprofessionnel garanti|fr:SMIG]]</ref> In 2000 [[Lionel Jospin]]'s government then enacted the [[35-hour workweek]], down from 39 hours. Five years later, conservative prime minister [[Dominique de Villepin]] enacted the [[New Employment Contract]] (CNE). Addressing the demands of employers asking for more flexibility in French labour laws, the CNE sparked criticism from trade unions and opponents claiming it was lending favour to [[contingent work]]. In 2006 he then attempted to pass the [[First Employment Contract]] (CPE) through a vote by emergency procedure, but that it was met by [[2006 labor protests in France|students and unions' protests]]. President [[Jacques Chirac]] finally had no choice but to repeal it. ===Healthcare and social welfare=== The French are profoundly committed to the public healthcare system (called "sécurité sociale") and to their "pay-as-you-go" social welfare system. In 1998. 75% of health payments in France were paid through the public healthcare system. Since 27 July 1999, France has a universal medical coverage for permanent residents in France (stable residence for more than three months). ==Food and lifestyle== ===Food and alcohol=== {{main|French cuisine|French wine}} Traditional French culture places a high priority on the enjoyment of food. French cuisine was codified in the 20th century by [[Auguste Escoffier|Georges Auguste Escoffier]] to become the modern version of ''[[haute cuisine]]''. Escoffier's major work, however, left out much of the regional character to be found in the provinces of France. Gastro-tourism and the ''[[Guide Michelin]]'' helped to bring people to the countryside during the 20th century and beyond, to sample this rich ''[[bourgeois]]'' and [[peasant]] cuisine of France. [[Basque cuisine]] has also been a great influence over the cuisine in the southwest of France. Ingredients and dishes vary by region (see [[French cuisine#Regional cuisine|regional cuisine]]). There are many significant regional dishes that have become both national and regional. Many dishes that were once regional, however, have proliferated in different variations across the country in the present day. [[Cheese]] (see [[list of French cheeses]]) and [[wine]] (see [[French wine]]) are also a major part of the cuisine, playing different roles both regionally and nationally with their many variations and ''[[Appellation d'origine contrôlée]]'' (AOC) (regulated appellation) laws ([[lentil]]s from [[Le Puy-en-Velay]] also have an AOC status). Another French product of special note is the [[Charolais cattle]]. [[Image:Crêpe opened up.jpg|thumb|140px|A sweet [[crêpe]]. Crêpes are originally from [[Brittany]]]] The French typically eat only a simple breakfast ("petit déjeuner") (of, say, coffee or tea, served traditionally in a large handleless "bol" and bread, breakfast pastries ([[croissant]]s), or yogurt). Lunch ("déjeuner") and dinner ("dîner") are the main meals of the day. Formal four course meals consist of a starter course ("entrée"), a main course ("plat principal") followed by a salad course, and finally a cheese and/or a dessert course. While French cuisine is often associated with rich desserts, in most homes dessert consists of only a fruit or yogurt. Food shopping in France was formerly done almost daily in small local shops and markets, but the arrival of the [[supermarket]] and the even larger "hypermarchés" (large-surface distributors) in France have disrupted this tradition. With depopulation of the countryside, many towns have been forced to close shops and markets. Rates of obesity and heart disease in France have traditionally been lower than in other north-western European countries. This is sometimes called the "[[French paradox]]" (see, for example, Mireille Guiliano's 2006 book ''[[French Women Don't Get Fat]]''). French cuisine and eating habits have however come under great pressure in recent years from modern "[[fast food]]", American products and the new global agricultural industry (including [[genetically modified organism]]s). While French youth culture has gravitated toward fast food and American eating habits (with an attendant rise in obesity), the French in general have remained committed to preserving certain elements of their food culture through such activities as including programs of "taste acquisition" in their public schools, by the use of the "[[appellation d'origine contrôlée]]" laws, and by state and European subsides to the French agricultural industry. Emblematic of these tensions is the work of [[José Bové]], who founded, in 1987, the Confédération Paysanne, an agricultural union that places its highest political values on humans and the environment, promotes [[organic farming]] and opposes genetically modified organisms; Bové's most famous protest was the dismantling of a [[McDonald's]] franchise in [[Millau]] ([[Aveyron]]), in 1999. In France, cutlery is used in the continental manner (with the fork in the left hand, prongs facing down and the knife in the right hand). French etiquette prohibits the placing of hands below the table. The legal drinking age is officially 18 for strong liquors (21% vol. alcohol), and 16 for most alcohol drinks (beer, wine...). France is one of the oldest [[wine]]-[[List of wine-producing regions|producing regions]] of [[Europe]]. France now produces the most wine by value in the world (although [[Italy]] rivals it by volume and [[Spain]] has more land under cultivation for wine grapes). [[Bordeaux wine]], [[Bourgogne wine]] and [[Champagne (wine)|Champagne]] are important agricultural products. ===Tobacco and drugs=== While [[cigarette]] smoking has long been part of French culture &mdash; figures indicate that in France, 39% of male adults and 27% of female adults smoke [http://www.quit.org.au/article.asp?ContentID=7231], and that more than 40% of young adults (between 18 and 24) smoke [http://library.thinkquest.org/17360/text/tx-e-pod.html] &mdash;, France, from 1st February, 2007, tightened the existing ban on smoking in public places found in the 1991 Évin law: [http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/texteconsolide/ADEAN.htm Law n°91-32 of 10th January, 1991], containing a variety of measures against [[alcoholism]] and tobacco consumption. Smoking is now banned in all public places (stations, museums, etc.); an exception exists for special smoking rooms fulfilling drastic conditions, see below. A special exemption was made for cafés and restaurants, clubs, casinos, bars, etc. which ended, 1st January, 2008.<ref>[http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/texteconsolide/SQHYN.htm Decree n°2006-1386 over 15th November, 2006] taken as application of [http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/WAspad/UnArticleDeCode?commun=&code=CSANPUNL.rcv&art=L3511-7 article L3511-7] of the Public Health Code, banning smoking in public places.</ref> Opinion polls suggest 70% of people support the ban.<ref>{{cite web | title=France to ban smoking in public | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6032125.stm | accessdate=2006-10-09 }}</ref> Previously, under the former implementation rules of the 1991 Évin law, restaurants, cafés etc. just had to provide smoking and non-smoking sections, which in practice were often not well separated. Under the new regulations, smoking rooms are allowed, but are subjected to very strict conditions: they may occupy at most 20% of the total floor space of the establishment and their size may not be more than 35 m²; they need to be equipped with separate ventilation which replaces the full volume of air ten times per hour; the air pressure of the smoking room must constantly be lower than the pressure in the contiguous rooms; they have doors that close automatically; no service can be provided in the smoking rooms; cleaning and maintenance personnel may enter the room only one hour after it was last used for smoking. Popular French cigarette brands include [[Gauloises]] and [[Gitanes]]. The possession, sale and use of [[cannabis]] (predominantly [[Morocco|Moroccan]] [[hashish]]) is illegal in France. Since 1 March 1994, the penalties for cannabis use are from two months to a year and/or a fine, while possession, cultivation or trafficking of the drug can be punished much more severely, up to ten years. According to a 1992 survey by SOFRES, 4.7 million French people ages 12-44 have at one time smoked cannabis.[http://www.cedro-uva.org/lib/boekhout.france.html] ===Sports and hobbies=== {{main|Sport in France}} The French "national" sport is [[football (soccer)]], colloquially called 'le foot' (see [[Football in France]]). The most-watched sports in France are [[football (soccer)]], [[rugby union]], [[basketball]], [[cycling]], [[sailing]] and [[tennis]]. France is notable for holding the football [[1998 FIFA World Cup|World Cup]] in 1998, for holding the annual cycling race [[Tour de France]], and the tennis Grand Slam tournament [[Roland Garros (tennis)|Roland Garros]], or the [[French Open]]. Sport is encouraged in school, and local sports clubs receive financial support from the local governments. While football (soccer) is definitely the most popular, [[rugby union]] and [[rugby league]] takes dominance in the southwest, especially around the city of [[Toulouse]] (see [[Rugby union in France]] and [[Rugby league in France]]). The modern [[Olympics]] were invented in France, in 1894. Professional sailing in France is centred on singlehanded/shorthanded ocean racing with the pinnacle of this branch of the sport being the [[Vendee Globe]] singlehanded around the world race which starts every 4 years from the French Atlantic coast. Other significant events include the Solitaire du Figaro, [[Mini Transat 6.50]], Tour de France a Voile and Route de Rhum transatlantic race. France has been a regular competitor in the [[Americas Cup]] since the 1970s. Other important sports include: [[Image:Dscn0054-boules-in-action 600x800.jpg|thumb|right|200px|People playing Pétanque next to the beach at [[Nice, France]]]] *[[Grand Prix motor racing|Grand Prix Racing]] ([[Formula One|Formula 1]]) - invented in France in 1946 *[[Pétanque]] - the international federation is recognized by the [[IOC]]. [http://www.cmsboules.com/] [http://www.arisf.org/members.htm]. *[[Fencing]] - fencing leads the list of sports for which gold medals were won for France at summer Olympics (see [[France at the Olympics]]). *[[Parkour]] - developed in France, parkour (''"art du déplacement"'') is a physical activity that resembles [[self-defense]] or [[martial arts]]. *[[Babyfoot]] (table football) - a very popular pastime in bars and in homes in France, and the French are the predominant winners of worldwide table football competitions. Like other cultural areas in France, sport is overseen by a government ministry, the [[Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports (France)]] which is in charge of national and public sport associations, youth affairs, public sports centers and national stadia (like the [[Stade de France]]). ===Fashion=== {{main|French fashion}} Along with Milan and New York, Paris is sometimes called the "fashion capital of the world". The association of France with [[fashion]] ({{lang-fr|la mode}}) dates largely to the reign of [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]] <ref>Kelly, 101. DeJean, chapters 2-4.</ref> when the luxury goods industries in France came increasingly under royal control and the French royal court became, arguably, the arbiter of taste and style in Europe. France renewed its dominance of the high fashion ({{lang-fr|couture or haute couture}}) industry in the years 1860–1960 through the establishing of the great [[couturier]] houses, the fashion press ([[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]] was founded in 1892; [[Elle]] was founded in 1945) and [[fashion shows]]. The first modern Parisian couturier house is generally considered the work of the Englishman [[Charles Frederick Worth]] who dominated the industry from 1858-1895.<ref>Kelly, 101.</ref> In the early twentieth century, the industry expanded through such Parisian fashion houses as the house of [[Chanel]] (which first came to prominence in 1925) and [[Balenciaga]] (founded by a Spaniard in 1937). In the post war year, fashion returned to prominence through [[Christian Dior]]'s famous "new look" in 1947, and through the houses of [[Pierre Balmain]] and [[Hubert de Givenchy]] (opened in 1952). In the 1960s, "high fashion" came under criticism from France's youth culture while designers like [[Yves Saint-Laurent (designer)|Yves Saint Laurent]] broke with established high fashion norms by launching ''[[prêt-à-porter]]'' ("ready to wear") lines and expanding French fashion into mass manufacturing and marketing.<ref>Dauncey, 195.</ref> Further innovations were carried out by [[Paco Rabanne]] and [[Pierre Cardin]]. With a greater focus on marketing and manufacturing, new trends were established in the 70s and 80s by [[Sonia Rykiel]], [[Thierry Mugler]], [[Claude Montana]], [[Jean-Paul Gaultier]] and [[Christian Lacroix]]. The 1990s saw a conglomeration of many French couture houses under luxury giants and multinationals such as [[LVMH]]. Since the 1960s, France's fashion industry has come under increasing competition from London, New York, Milan and Tokyo, and the French have increasingly adopted foreign (particularly American) fashions (such as jeans, tennis shoes). Nevertheless, many foreign designers still seek to make their careers in France. ===Pets=== In 2006, 52% of French households had at least one [[pet]] <ref>''Le marché des aliments pour chiens et chats en Belgique''. Mission Economique de Bruxelles, 2006. <small>[http://www.ubifrance.fr/download/download.asp?cleautonomy=3204091 Read this document (in French) PDF]</small></ref>: 9.7 million [[cat]]s, 8.8 million [[dog]]s, 2.3 million [[rodent]]s, 8 million [[bird]]s, and 28 million [[fish]]. ==Media and art== {{Expand|date=January 2007}} ===Art and museums=== {{main|French art}} The first paintings of France are those that are from prehistoric times, painted in the caves of [[Lascaux]] well over 10,000 years ago. The arts flourished already 1,200 years ago, at the time of [[Charlemagne]], as can be seen in many hand made and hand illustrated books of that time. Classic painters of the 17th century in France are [[Nicolas Poussin]] and [[Claude Lorrain]]. During the 18th century the [[Rococo]] style emerged as a frivolous continuation of the [[Baroque]] style. The most famous painters of the era were [[Antoine Watteau]], [[François Boucher]] and [[Jean-Honoré Fragonard]]. At the end of the century, [[Jacques-Louis David]] was the most influential painter of the [[Neoclassicism]]. [[Théodore Géricault|Géricault]] and [[Eugène Delacroix|Delacroix]] were the most important painters of the [[Romanticism]]. Afterwards, the painters were more realistic, describing nature ([[Barbizon school]]). The [[Realism (arts)|realistic movement]] was led by [[Gustave Courbet|Courbet]] and [[Honoré Daumier]]. Impressionism was developed in France by artists such as [[Claude Monet]], [[Edgar Degas]], [[Pierre-Auguste Renoir]] and [[Camille Pissarro]]. At the turn of the century, France had become more than ever the center of innovative art. The Spaniard [[Pablo Picasso]] came to France, like many other foreign artists, to deploy his talents there for decades to come. [[Toulouse-Lautrec]], [[Gauguin]] and [[Cézanne]] were painting then. [[Cubism]] is an [[avant-garde]] movement born in Paris at the beginning of the 20th century. The [[Louvre]] in Paris is one of the most famous and the largest art museums in the world, created by the new revolutionary regime in 1793 in the former royal palace. It holds a vast amount of art of French and other artists, e.g. the [[Mona Lisa]], by [[Leonardo da Vinci]], and classical Greek [[Venus de Milo]] and ancient works of culture and art from Egypt and the Middle East. ===Music=== {{main|Music of France}} France boasts a wide variety of indigenous [[folk music]], as well as styles played by immigrants from [[Africa]], [[Latin America]] and [[Asia]]. In the field of [[classical music]], France has produced a number of legendary [[composer]]s, while modern pop music has seen the rise of popular [[French hip hop]], [[French rock]], [[techno]]/[[funk]], and [[turntablist]]s/djs. France created the [[Fête de la Musique]] (first held in 1982), a music festival, which has since become worldwide. It takes place every June 21, on summer's day. ===Cinema=== {{main|Cinema of France}} ===Television=== {{main|List of television stations in France|Media of France}} See also: [[:Category:French television|Category:French television]] ===Books, newspapers and magazines=== {{main|French media|French literature}} France has the reputation of being a "literary culture"<ref>Theodore Zedlin, quoted in Kidd and Reynolds, 266</ref>, and this image is reinforced by such things as the importance of [[French literature]] in the French educational system, the attention paid by the French media to French [[book fair]]s and book prizes (like the [[Prix Goncourt]], [[Prix Renaudot]] or [[Prix Femina]]) and by the popular success of the (former) literary television show "[[Apostrophes]]" (hosted by [[Bernard Pivot]]). This image not withstanding, 1980s figures showed that the French spent 50% less on books and used lending libraries 1/12 as often as the British.<ref>''ibid.''</ref> Although the [[list of countries by literacy rate|official literacy rate]] of France is 99%, some estimates have placed [[functional illiteracy]] at between 10% and 20% of the adult population (and higher in the prison population).<ref>Kidd and Reynolds, 261.</ref> While reading remains a favorite pastime of French youth today, surveys show that it has decreased in importance compared to music, television, sports and other activities.<ref>Kidd and Reynolds, 261.</ref> The crisis of [[academic publishing]] has also hit France (see, for example, the financial difficulties of the [[Presses universitaires de France]] (PUF), France's premier academic publishing house, in the 1990s).<ref>Kidd and Reynolds, 266.</ref> Literary taste in France remains centered on the novel (26.4% of book sales in 1997), although the French read more non-fiction essays and books on current affairs than the British or Americans.<ref>Kidd and Reynolds, 258 and 264.</ref> Contemporary novels, including French translations of foreign novels, lead the list (13% of total books sold), followed by sentimental novels (4.1%), detective and spy fiction (3.7%), "classic" literature (3.5%), science fiction and horror (1.3%) and erotic fiction (0.2%).<ref>Kidd and Reynolds, 265.</ref> About 30% of all fiction sold in France today is translated from English (authors such as [[William Boyd]], [[John le Carré]], [[Ian McEwan]], [[Paul Auster]] and [[Douglas Kennedy]] are well received).<ref>Donald Morrison, "The Death of French Culture", ''Time'', Wednesday Nov. 21, 2007. {http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1686532,00.html}</ref> An important subset of book sales is [[comic book]]s (typically [[Franco-Belgian comics]] like [[Tintin]] and [[Astérix]]) which are published in a large hardback format; comic books represented 4% of total book sales in 1997<ref>Kidd and Reynolds, 264.</ref>. French artists have made the country a leader in the [[graphic novel]] genre<ref>Donald Morrison, "The Death of French Culture", ''Time'', Wednesday Nov. 21, 2007. {http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1686532,00.html}</ref> and France hosts the [[Angoulême International Comics Festival]], Europe's preeminent comics festival. Like other areas of French culture, book culture is influenced, in part, by the state, in particular by the "Direction du livre et de la lecture" of the Ministry of Culture, which oversees the "Centre national du livre" (National Book Center). The French Ministry of Industry also plays a role in price control. Finally, the [[Value added tax|VAT]] for books and other cultural products in France is at the reduced rate of 5.5%, which is also that of food and other necessities ([[:fr:Taxe sur la valeur ajoutée|see here]]). In terms of journalism in France, the regional press (see [[list of newspapers in France]]) has become more important than national dailies (such as [[Le Monde]] and [[Le Figaro]]) over the past century: in 1939, national dailies were 2/3 of the dailies market, while today they are less than 1/4.<ref>Kidd and Reynolds, 232.</ref> The magazine market is currently dominated by TV listings magazines<ref>Kidd and Reynolds, 236</ref> followed by [[news magazine]]s such as [[Le Nouvel Observateur]], [[L'Express]] and [[Le Point]]. ==Architecture and housing== {{main|French architecture}} ==Transportation== {{main|Transportation in France}} There are significant differences in lifestyles with respect to transportation between very urbanized regions such as [[Paris]], and smaller towns and rural areas. In [[Paris]], and to a lesser extent in other major cities, many households do not own an [[automobile]] and simply use efficient [[mass transportation]]. The [[cliché]] about the parisien is [[rush hour]] in the ''[[Métro]]'' subway. However, outside of such areas, ownership of one or more cars is standard, especially for households with children. The [[TGV]] high speed rail network, ''train à grande vitesse'' is a fast rail transport which serves several areas of the country and is self financing. There are plans to reach most parts of France and many other destinations in Europe in coming years. Rail services to major destinations are punctual and frequent. ==Holidays== {{main|Public holidays in France}} Despite the principles of ''laïcité'' and the separation of church from state, public and school holidays in France generally follow the Roman Catholic religious calendar (including [[Easter]], [[Christmas]], [[Ascension Day]], [[Pentecost]], [[Assumption of Mary]], [[All Saints Day]], etc.). [[Labor Day]] and the National Holiday are the only business holidays determined by government statute; the other holidays are granted by ''convention collective'' (agreement between employers' and employees' unions) or by agreement of the employer. The five holiday periods of the public school year are: *the ''vacances de la Toussaint'' ([[All Saints Day]]) - one and a half weeks starting near the end of October. *the ''vacances de Noël'' ([[Christmas]]) - two weeks, ending after [[New Years]]. *the ''vacances d'hiver'' (winter) - two weeks in February and March. *the ''vacances de Pâques'' ([[Easter]]) - two weeks around Easter weekend. *the ''grandes vacances'' - summer vacation. On May 1, [[Labour Day]] (''La Fête du Travail'') the French give flowers of [[Lily of the Valley]] to one another. The National holiday (called [[Bastille Day]] in English) in on 14 July. Military parades, called [[Bastille Day Military Parade|Défilés du 14 juillet]], are held, the largest on the [[Champs-Élysées]] avenue in [[Paris]] in front of the [[President of France|President of the Republic]]. On November 2, [[All Souls Day]] (''La Fête des morts''), the French traditionally bring [[chrysanthemum]]s to the tombs of departed family members. On November 11, [[Remembrance Day]] (''Le Jour du Souvenir'') is an official holiday. [[Christmas]] is generally celebrated in France on Christmas eve by a traditional meal (typical dishes include [[oyster]]s, [[boudin blanc]] and the [[bûche de Noël]]), by opening presents and by attending the [[midnight mass]] (even among Catholics who do not attend church at other times of the year). [[Presentation of Jesus at the Temple|Candlemas]] (''La Chandeleur'') is celebrated with [[crêpe]]s, which must be eaten only after eight p.m. If the cook can flip a crêpe while holding a coin in the other hand, the family is assured of prosperity throughout the coming year. In recent years, the Anglo-Saxon and American holiday, [[Halloween]] has grown in popularity to some extent. ==See also== {{commonscat|Culture of France}} *[[List of French people]] *[[Demographics of France]] *[[Catherinettes]] *[[Architecture of Normandy]] ==References== * Bernstein, Richard. ''Fragile Glory: A Portrait of France and the French''. Plume, 1991. * Carroll, Raymonde. Carol Volk, translator. ''Cultural Misunderstandings: The French-American Experience''. University of Chicago Press, 1990. * [[Robert Darnton|Darnton, Robert]]. ''The Great Cat Massacre and Other Episodes in French Cultural History''. Vintage, 1984. ISBN 0-394-72927-7 * Dauncey, Hugh, ed. ''French Popular Culture: An Introduction''. New York: Oxford University Press (Arnold Publishers), 2003. * DeJean, Joan. ''The Essence of Style: How The French INvented High Fashion, Fine Food, Chic Cafés, Style, Sophistication, and Glamour.'' New York: Free Press, 2005. ISBN 978-0-7432-6413-6 * Forbes, Jill and Michael Kelly, eds. ''French Cultural Studies: An Introduction''. Clarendon Press, 1996. ISBN 0-19-871501-3 * [[Adam Gopnik|Gopnik, Adam]]. ''[[Paris to the Moon]]''. Random House, 2001. * Hall, Edward Twitchell and Mildred Reed Hall. ''Understanding Cultural Differences: Germans, French and Americans''. Intercultural Press, 1990. * Howarth, David and Georgios Varouzakis. ''Contemporary France: An Introduction to French Politics and Society''. New York: Oxford University Press (Arnold Publishers), 2003. ISBN 0-340-74187-2 * Kelly, Michael. ''French Culture and Society: The Essentials''. New York: Oxford University Press (Arnold Publishers), 2001. (A Reference Guide) * Kidd, William and Siân Reynolds, eds. ''Contemporary French Cultural Studies''. Arnold Publishers, 2000. ISBN 0-340-74050-7 * Nadeau, Jean-Benoît and Julie Barlow. ''Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong: Why We Love France But Not The French''. Sourcebooks Trade, 2003. ISBN 1-4022-0045-5 * [[Graham Robb|Robb, Graham]]. ''The Discovery of France: A Historical Geography, from the Revolution to the First World War.'' New York: Norton, 2007. ISBN 978-0393059731 * {{Fr icon}} Wylie, Laurence and Jean-François Brière. ''Les Français''. 3rd edition. Prentice Hall, 2001. * Zedlin, Theodore and Philippe Turner, eds. ''The French''. Kodansha International, 1996. ==Notes== {{reflist|2}} ==External links== * [http://www.frenchculture.org/ Frenchculture.org] * [http://www.frenchculturenow.com/ Frenchculturenow.com] * [http://info-france-usa.org/atoz/index.asp France in Brief / France From A to Z] - Embassy of France in the US ** [http://info-france-usa.org/atoz/culture.asp Culture and Leisure] - subpage ** [http://info-france-usa.org/atoz/social.asp French society] - subpage * [http://www.insee.fr/en/home/home_page.asp National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies] ([[INSEE]]) * Morrison, Don. "[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1686532,00.html?xid=site-cnn-partner The Death of French Culture]," ''[[TIME (magazine)|TIME]]'' {{Culture of Europe}} [[Category:French culture| ]] [[es:Cultura de Francia]] [[fr:Culture française]] [[gl:Cultura francesa]] [[ja:フランス文化]] [[pt:Cultura da França]] [[ro:Cultura Franţei]] [[sq:Kultura e Francës]] [[zh:法国文化]]