Jean-Paul Poirier

The Lisbon Earthquake

Giulia Sissa

Sex and Sensuality in the Ancient World

This fascinating study of the “art of lovemaking” in Ancient Greece and Rome offers an essential lesson for today

Sylvie Thénault

The Hidden Side of Colonial Algeria Camps, administrative internment, house arrest

An essential new work in the study of French colonial history

Jacques Andréani

The Trap Helsinki and the Fall of Communism

Jacques Cantier

Algeria Under the Vichy Regime

On 25 June 1940, both the Franco-German and Franco-Italian Armistice came into effect. In Algeria, appeals to carry on the struggle in France’s colonial empire no longer served any purpose. The Vichy regime, which came into existence following the parliamentary vote of 10 July 1940, was thus able to extend its rule over Algeria. Claiming to be at the head of a “National Revolution” which would create “a new Man” and fight against the forces of “Anti-France”, the Vichy government was able to flourish until the Anglo-American landings in North Africa in 1942. The author has given us a thorough review of this little-known period. This is not just a historical parenthesis as the study of the consequences of the “National Revolution” in France’s colonies casts a new light on the discussion about the nature and actions of the Vichy regime. It also illuminates a frequently concealed stage in the development of colonial society, which had had to confront a growing number of internal difficulties since the 1930s. Jacques Cantier is a lecturer at the University of Toulouse-Le-Mirail.

Simon Serfaty

The Imperial Temptation

Israël Finkelstein

The Forgotten Biblical Kingdom

One of the world’s greatest archaeologists reveals what the Bible doesn’t tell us.

Sylvie Schweitzer

Women Have Always Worked A History of Working Women in the 19th Century

For women, the victory of recent years is one of empowerment in their professional lives: they now have the means to compete with men in every field. Yet society’s traditional image of what is a male or female profession remains very powerful. In 2001, French women had managed to enter professions that were previously practically closed to them but French men are still reluctant to enter traditionally female professions. This book reviews two centuries of women’s work. It shows that women have always worked — but not everywhere. Women’s access to increasingly “prized” jobs goes hand in hand with economic and global development.