Paris in the Belle poque

The city of Paris, in the years between 1870 and 1914, was the scene of one of the most dynamic, progressive, and chaotic periods in French history. The era came to be fondly–and retrospectively–known as the Belle Époque. It is true that between the revolution of the Paris Commune in 1870 and the outbreak of World War I, Paris was the locus of successive waves of social and cultural discoveries and innovation at all levels of society, in all aspects of economic and political life, and in all fields of artistic creation and technological advance. But this time of dazzling advances was accompanied by social upheaval, political turmoil, inequality, poverty and discrimination. In our course, we will explore the period of 1870-1914 in Paris in its myriad aspects. We will give special attention to how artistic production, especially in the areas of literature, the visual arts and music, reflect rapid social change in a volatile political environment. Another focus point will be the evolving role of women in society and the visible questioning of gender and sexual identity. We will also examine French colonialism and specifically how it was represented and displayed in three successive Expositions Universelles (Worlds Fairs) held in Paris in 1878, 1889, and 1900. Throughout our exploration, we will consider not only the beauty and charm of the City of Light, but also the more complex and dark aspects of this moment of intense social and transformation. Finally, we will consider the fact that the term “Belle Époque” is itself a label, a retrospective reimagining in the mid-twentieth century of a privileged moment in the past, already distant and forever lost. This will lead us to consider collective memory as a cultural process that creates “periods” and “versions” of the past in an effort to better grapple with the present.