What is a Family? The French Example from Napoleon to Dominique Strauss Kahn

Learn about the political and cultural implications of the changing family ideal in French culture, from Napoleon Bonaparte to Dominique Strauss Kahn.

In 1803, the Napoleonic Code of Civil Law defined the principles of the conjugal family, making it the bedrock of French society. Throughout the following centuries, men and women challenged that ideal family, both in personal practices and in the courts. We will examine how the family changed from a patriarchal biological unit to a more fluid social institution over 200 years and explore the implications for national politics and culture.

Nov. 2 – Why is the Family Important? Within and Without the Conjugal Family
Nov. 9 – Who's the Father? The Law, the Family and the Courts
Nov. 16 – Who Provides for Poor Fatherless Families? The French Welfare Example

Rachel Fuchs holds a doctorate from Indiana University and is the author of six books. The most recent one, Contested Paternity: Constructing Families in Modern France (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008), received three prizes, including one from the American Historical Association. She is the recipient of three awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities and several from ASU, including the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Distinguished Faculty Award, the Dean's Award for Quality Teaching, the Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Graduate Women's Association Outstanding Mentor Award, and the Sun Devils' Advocates Apple Polisher Award. In 2005–06 she was the interim director of the Institute for Humanities Research at ASU. She is past president of the Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association and the Society for French Historical Studies. Currently, she is co-editor of the journal French Historical Studies.

	Rachel Fuchs Regents' Professor and Foundation Professor of History
School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Wednesdays, Nov. 2–16
10–10:55 a.m. Lecture
10:55–11:05 a.m. Refreshments
11:05–noon Lecture
$105

Northern Trust – Gainey Ranch
7600 E. Doubletree Ranch Road Scottsdale, AZ 85258

Free parking provided
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What is a Family? The French Example from Napoleon to Dominique Strauss Kahn

ASU Foundation for A New American University