François Mitterrand warned that France would be irrelevant to twenty-first-century history unless it maintained its control of Africa. Its instrument for so doing is the CFA Franc — a colonial currency entrenching French rule more than fifty years after independence.
Ahead of the 2022 election, French media are presenting an inevitable duel between incumbent Emmanuel Macron and the "populist" Marine Le Pen. Yet for decades we've seen how this liberal framing fuels far-right talking points — echoing Le Pen's false claim to stand for those "left behind" against the status quo.
The welfare state wasn’t created by enlightened dialogue or “sensible” moderate politics. It was a concession won by workers against bosses through decades of struggle.
French Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel is running for the presidency — and even polling ahead of the long-powerful Socialists. But a campaign heavy on identity also shows that the old workers’ parties are struggling to speak to a changed working class.
French socialist thinker Daniel Guérin lived a life of extraordinary political commitment, from anti-fascist and anti-colonial struggles to his pioneering advocacy of gay liberation. Guérin’s writings and record should be a touchstone for the modern left.
Faced with France’s snap elections, the left-wing parties built an alliance in record time. But to defeat Marine Le Pen, sounding the alarm about the far right won’t suffice. The Left will need to offer a positive vision for working-class France.
After 1945, France produced an extraordinary wave of social theorists whose influence is still felt today. In his final work, Fredric Jameson discussed the excitement of watching this wave rise and fall and the conditions that made it possible.
Removing border checks between many European states, the Schengen Area is often hailed as an internationalist triumph. Yet its creation went hand in hand with the tightening of Europe’s external borders — a contradiction that is hardening today.
An interview with Emmanuel Todd
Foucault was not asking the "right questions." And the answers he came up with helped disorient the Left.
On a Greek left dominated by Syriza and the Communist Party, Antarsya is often overlooked. Where did the organization come from and where is it going?
Some lessons from Syriza — and where we go from here.
From Algeria to the Paris attacks, French elites have used state of emergency legislation to consolidate power and repress dissent.
Sinn Féin wants to be more than an opposition force — it wants to lead Ireland’s first progressive government.
François Hollande has hastened the French Socialist Party's transformation into a vehicle for business interests.
Refusing to engage with Trump's base will only guarantee the growth of the far right.
Two years after the Charlie Hebdo massacre, we consider the origin and trajectory of the publication.
The establishment’s panicked reaction to Mélenchon should convince us that he stands a real chance of winning.
Where did Le Pen’s vote come from — and what does it mean?
Macron managed to defeat the far right this time. But to get rid of the National Front for good, the Left will need to make a comeback.