Three observations on a “cultural revival” in France

In March 1999, after a two-year stay, I left France with a rather pessimistic view. It seemed then that on the intellectual plane, barring some isolated individuals, Pierre Bourdieu and his network, flanked by Le Monde Diplomatique, acted as the only significant critical force. Today there are reasons for being far more optimistic on both the political and intellectual fronts. The students’ movement for the transformation of the economic curriculum toward a pluralistic vision of the discipline is not just part of this cultural revival, but, because it is expressed at a national level, it represents a more advanced step in challenging the ruling orthodoxy. In this context, let me make three observations.