Description
Book SynopsisThis book examines the social life of non-Europeans in Paris in the 1920s and 1930s and describes the political outgrowths of their migration to France. It argues that this migration was crucial for decolonization and the rise of a Third World consciousness after World War II.
Trade Review'Anti-Imperial Metropolis will reorient the way we think about the global intellectual and political history of decolonization and nationalism, and deserves to be essential reading in both undergraduate and graduate courses on modern international affairs. Michael Goebel's thought-provoking account of the role played by migrant intellectuals from diverse regions of the world living in interwar Paris in creating the post-imperial imagination of the world order helps us better understand the curious links among nationalism, internationalism, and social history of immigration to Europe from the colonies. This is indeed one of the best books I have read in recent times.' Cemil Aydin, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
'Michael Goebel's masterful study on anticolonial activities of migrant groups in Paris during the interwar period is an outstanding contribution to the field of global history and to the historiography of decolonization. It is the first book that analyzes the complexity of a major city that became a hub of global anti-imperial consciousness and a crossroad of global migrations. It very nicely links the 'local' with the 'global' beyond abstract statements, but with rich empirical material.' Andreas Eckert, Humboldt University Berlin
'In this fascinating and well-researched study of non-Western expatriates in Paris between the wars, Michael Goebel combines meticulous social history with several broad claims about the significance of this experience … Anti-Imperial Metropolis is an excellent book that builds upon the work of scholars like Jennifer Boittin and Marilyn Levine to create a masterful portrait of a unique time and place … Michael Goebel crafts an engaging portrait of a diverse group of workers and intellectuals from many different shores who developed in Paris visions of their own nations and futures that would reshape the world in the mid-twentieth century. Anyone interested in the transnational history of the modern world will find this an intriguing and at times provocative study.' Tyler Stovall , H-Soz-u-Kult
Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Surveying the crossroads of the world: Paris at the intersection of global migrations; 2. Building communities: everyday ethnicity and popular culture; 3. Lovers, husbands, fathers, workers, and soldiers: private life and work; 4. Learning and imparting lessons in anti-imperialism: students in the Latin Quarter; 5. The clearinghouse of world politics: international relations and colonialism; 6. Communist intermediaries: the French Left, the Comintern, and anti-imperialists; 7. A revolutionary lingua franca: anti-imperialism, civic rights, and the republican ethos; 8. Vernacularizing nationalism: an outcome foretold?; Conclusion.
