Diplomacy and International Governance Director publishes new book

Professor Helen Drake, Director of the Institute for Diplomacy and International Governance and Professor of French and European Studies, together with Alistair Cole, Sophie Meunier, and Vincent Tiberj recently co-edited the sixth edition of the textbook published by Macmillan in November.

This leading textbook on French politics combines expert analysis with an international perspective to shed light on the challenges faced by France in a broad global context. The book covers a range of new topics including the National Rally (formerly the National Front), immigration, multiculturalism and gender and sexual politics.

This new version of the leading textbook on French politics offers expert analysis of recent national and international events, discussing their significance for France itself as well as for Europe and the wider world. It covers a wide range of current challenges facing the country under the presidency of Emmanuel Macron and considers how issues such as immigration, multiculturalism and gender and sexual politics fit with wider patterns in global politics. 

The book comprises thirteen original chapters written by renowned experts in the field which draws on new data and thinking to expose and analyze thorny questions of religion, racial prejudice, radicalization and sexual politics pervading 21st Century France. These challenges are placed in a broad global context, making this essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the internal complexities of France, as well as where the country fits on the international stage today.

Speaking on the book’s publication, Professor Helen Drake said:

"This book was a long time in the making. Events in France would not stay still, especially given the speed of President Macron's reforms after his election in 2017. We stopped the clock six months into the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. We covered all the turbulence of Macron's first three years in power and related it to underlying trends promising yet more surprises ahead.  It was a pleasure to work with so many talented contributors, each of whom bring something fresh and original to the study of contemporary French politics." 

Christopher Bickerton, University Lecturer at the University of Cambridge, said:

“The editors have marshalled together a superb set of chapters. This is a perfect starting point for thinking about the continuities and changes that have marked out the Macron era in France and the years preceding his arrival at the Élysée Palace. Essential reading for anyone wanting to understand contemporary France.”

To find out more about the Developments in French Politics book, please visit the publisher’s website.

To find out more about the Institute for Diplomacy and International Governance, please see here.