Sex, gender and sociability - American students in France after WW2

Study abroad flourished after World War II and allowed young persons to become more involved in the culture and daily life of another country than did most other forms of travel. Young American women who studied in France from the late 1940s through most of the 1960s confronted gendered stereotypes...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clio (Toulouse, France) France), 2008-01, Vol.28 (2), p.145-158
Main Authors: Walton, Whitney, Basch, Françoise
Format: Article
Language:fre
Subjects:
Americans
Cultural differences
France
Gender
Post-war history
Sex
Sexual behaviour
Sexuality
Sociability
Stereotypes
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Study abroad flourished after World War II and allowed young persons to become more involved in the culture and daily life of another country than did most other forms of travel. Young American women who studied in France from the late 1940s through most of the 1960s confronted gendered stereotypes and different social and sexual practices that marked their encounters with French people and culture. Based on oral interviews with former students and letters that students wrote to their families while studying in France, this essay reveals how young American women negotiated these differences to develop an appreciation for certain aspects of French culture and to construct more independent and self-confident individual identities. // ABSTRACT IN FRENCH: Les séjours d'étude à l'étranger se sont développés après la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Plus que d'autres formes de voyage, ils permettent aux jeunes adultes de s'immerger dans la culture et le quotidien d'un autre pays. Les jeunes femmes américaines qui ont étudié en France entre la fin des années 1940 et les années 1960 ont été marquées par les stéréotypes de genre et les pratiques sociales et sexuelles auxquels elles ont été confrontées. S'appuyant sur des entretiens oraux avec d'anciennes étudiantes et sur des lettres envoyées alors aux familles, cet article examine la manière dont ces Américaines ont négocié les différences culturelles, pour évaluer certains aspects de la culture française et se forger une identité individuelle plus indépendante et plus assurée. Reproduced by permission of Bibliothèque de Sciences Po
ISSN:1252-7017