ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY FRANCE

France and the Mediterranean: representations, policy, transnationalism

Thursday 3rd September – Saturday 5th September 2009
University of Portsmouth
In 2009, the ASMCF annual conference will take place at the University of Portsmouth on
the theme of ‘‘France and the Mediterranean: representations, policy, transnationalism’.
This three-day conference will seek to reassess, explore and compare the multiple dimensions
linking and/ or opposing modern and contemporary France with its Mediterranean neighbours
both today. Amongst the themes to be considered will be:
• the growing salience of post-colonial issues both in France and in North Africa
• the reassessment of French diplomacy in the Middle East
• the launch of the Union pour la Méditerranée in July 2008
• the renewed interest in the problematic Latin identity of France in a European and
global context
• French trade strategies towards its Mediterranean partners
• the cultural heritage of France in and from the Mediterranean
• transnational links between political parties across the Mediterranean area.
In line with the interdisciplinary approach privileged by the ASMCF, the organisers will
welcome papers from disciplines such as international relations, history, politics, economics,
sociology, anthropology, religious, gender, literary, cultural, film and media studies. Papers
with a comparative or transnational perspective are particularly welcome.
The conference will also bring together researchers working in the field of French studies
with their counterparts in Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, South-East European, Middle Eastern
or North African studies (the list, of course, is not exhaustive). The participation of the
Association for the Study of Modern Italy (ASMI) in the 2009 ASMCF conference will
ensure that particular attention is paid to the transalpine dimension. Other organisations
interested in sponsoring a panel are invited to contact the conference organisers.
The conference will consist of a limited number of plenary sessions and a series of panels
organised around two main themes:
• contributions focussing on the relations between France and specific areas of the
Mediterranean, such as France and the Middle East, or France and Spain.
• contributions focussing on specific themes, such as the constitution of transnational
networks (cultural exchange, police cooperation, etc...), representations of
Mediterraneans and perceptions of France and the French around the Mediterranean.
Individual papers and panels: Individual paper proposals, if accepted, will be grouped in
panels by the conference organisers. Submissions should contain the title of the presentation,
a short abstract (max. 350 words), a one-page CV with the contact details of the presenter.
Proposals for panels, which should usually consist of three presenters and a chairperson, will
be considered. Proposals should be submitted by the organizer of the panel and should
contain: the title of the panel, names and contact details (affiliation, email and postal
addresses) of the organizer, the chairperson and the presenters, a general outline of the panel
and a short (max. 350 words) abstracts for each presentation. Postgraduate students are
strongly encouraged to present papers. Papers should be no more than 20 minutes long and
may be delivered in English or in French.
Deadline: Proposals must be sent to Emmanuel Godin (emmanuel.godin@port.ac.uk) and
Natalya Vince (natalya.vince@port.ac.uk) before 1 February 2009.

Postgraduate Poster Session: Postgraduates in the early stage of their research are invited to
present their work at the conference Poster Session. The Poster Session aims to enable
postgraduate students to participate in the conference programme, receive feedback from
specialists in an informal and friendly setting and to prepare them for presenting papers at
future conferences. If you require further information about presenting a poster at the
ASMCF annual conference, please contact the ASMCF postgraduate representative, Matthew
Moran at m.moran@ucl.ac.uk .