The future of French history in the United States: Unapocalyptic thoughts for the new millennium

This slightly revised version of a luncheon address given at the annual mee ting of the Society for French Historical Studies in May 2000 considers the effects on the profession of French history in the United States of the va rious contemporary trends that go under the name of "globalization." It sug gests that in the short term globalization will decrease the relative numbe r of academic positions in French history and will encourage research proje cts that place France in a comparative perspective or emphasize relations b etween metropole and colony. It contrasts these "unapocalyptic" predictions with the possible long-term consequences of globalization: the modern univ ersity's abandonment of its traditional project of creating a national cult ure.