Politics of Fun

David L. Looseley Professor of Contemporary French Culture, University of Leeds

• The precursors: the popular front, Vichy and the liberation; heritage, creation, democratization: the Malraux years; from Malraux to Mitterrand: creation and creativity; culture and the economy; policies for high culture; beyond high culture: pluralism and le tout-culturel; a certain idea of the city: the presidential grands projects; Lang and the politics of fun: politicizing the cultural debate, 1985-88; popularizing the past: Lang et leotard, meme combat?; culture and the Audiovisual; a l'Heure des bilans: the ministry in question.

'David Looseley has charted in full and lucid detail the history of these extraordinary years.' The Literary Review 'The book's text matches up well to a fascinating and highly topical subject and the author has covered his ground in considerable depth, providing an important source book ... this book has provided considerable enlightenment and occasional moments of righteous envy.'The Times Higher Education Supplement'Looseley has produced an important book which sets new standards in the study of cultural policy, and which will be read with interest by policy makers and academics alike.'European Journal of Cultural Policy' ... a well-researched work with excellent references, bibliography, short chronology and index ... providing a fascinating insight into the types of debate that governments can engender if they are willing to be involved not just in the selling of franchises for television and the national lottery but in a holistic approach to the promotion of the n