@karinevarley
Historian at University of Strathclyde, Franco-Prussian War, Second World War, Vichy France, Corsica. Author of Vichy's Double Bind: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/vichys-double-bind/7089CE39930C5E4D0E2F8B0B52C0A778
Please sign the petition below in support of colleagues at Nottingham, where courses in the highly respected Dept of Modern Languages & Cultures have been earmarked for suspension.
It can often be difficult to get reviews of edited volumes. I'm therefore very grateful to Michael Epkenhans for this thoughtful review of my edited volume, The Franco-Prussian War. Turning-Points in European Experiences and Perceptions of Military Conflict.
www.hsozkult.de/publicationr...
Interesting graphic on the longevity of France's Prime Ministers under the Fifth Republic. Pompidou comes out top at 2279 days!
On 13 September, I'll be speaking about the Allied bombing of France and its colonial empire during the Second World War as part of this year's Royal Society of Edinburgh Curious Festival.
rse.org.uk/event/the-mo...
According to a poll for Le Figaro, 83% of the French population oppose the government's plans to allow the Corsican Assembly to pass legislation.
www.corsenetinfos.corsica/Le-Figaro-so...
Batholdi's Lion de Belfort at place Denfert-Rochereau in Paris looks like it would benefit from being cleaned.
Ending the conference earlier today, highlights included papers by Alex Summers and Patrick Luiz S. de Oliveira on the Franco-Prussian War.
A brilliant plenary by Stéphane Gerson yesterday that wove personal family stories with the histories of resistance and collaboration under Vichy.
Nicolas Moll discussed the Wer ist Walter project, which features stories of resistance across Europe. I've been hearing a lot about it at conferences this summer. Worth checking out.
weristwalter.eu/de/
Today featured a wonderful panel with Nicolas Moll and Sarah Farmer on resistance comparisons between France and Yugoslavia and memories of Oradour-sur-Glane.
Excellent panel on Resistance and the Allies, with Claire Andrieu, Raphaële Balu and Guillaume Piketty.
Registration for 'Resist' French History conference, Paris. Already good.
As an added bonus, I also saw Louis XVI's famous 'rien' diary entry for 14 July 1789.
Since the archives in Paris were closed today, I went to the Musée des Archives Nationales to see the original manuscript of de Gaulle's 'appel' of 18 June 1940. Fascinating to see the revisions.
Macron announces annual commemoration for Alfred Dreyfus on 12 July.
www.elysee.fr/emmanuel-mac...
Waiting for my delayed flight and already bumped into another French historian heading to the Paris conference
Is Macron planning to 'go on and on'?
www.politico.eu/article/macr...
Grateful to the organisers, especially Marco Maria Aterrano, for bringing together a diverse and international range of speakers.
I thoroughly enjoyed attending 'The Global Mediterranean and the Long Second World War' conference in Naples. Excellent papers combined with an amazing setting, finished off with pizza. Lots of new approaches to the Mediterranean to think over.
Today's views from the conference
As conference locations go, this is pretty good...
Looking forward to discussing the Mediterranean dimensions of the Second World War in Naples over the next couple of days.
I was less convinced by this description of leadership of the 'Vichy Republic' being treated with 'respect' by Hitler.
Just caught this interesting new exhibition at the Imperial War Museum.
Interesting discussion about the periodisation of the Second World War at the National Army Museum last night. Looking forward to the rest of the conference.
'Promoting Alfred Dreyfus to the rank of brigadier general would constitute an act of reparation, a recognition of his merits, and a tribute to his commitment to the republic.'
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
L’Assemblée nationale vote à l’unanimité l’élévation d’Alfred Dreyfus au grade de « général de brigade »
Good to hear about the work of the Cross-Party Group on Europe and the European Movement in Scotland at yesterday's European Diversity Month reception at the Scottish Parliament.
The French government has withdrawn an AI-generated film celebrating the French Resistance after it was pointed out that it featured a German soldier, rather than a French one.
Still so much to be gained from watching Le Chagrin et la pitié all these years later. I've seen it so many times and each time I spot something new.
www.theguardian.com/film/2025/ma...