America in French: From Enlightenment Projection to Political Instrument (1770–1788).
This article examines how François-Jean de Chastellux (1734–1788) constructed and reworked representations of America between the 1770s and 1780s. Drawing on his published writings and previously unpublished archival materials, it traces the evolution of his understanding of America from Enlightenme...
| Publicado en: | Contemporary French & Francophone Studies Vol. 30; no. 4; pp. 982 - 997 |
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| Formato: | Artículo |
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Taylor & Francis Ltd
Sep2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=196293664&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 196293664 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 17409292 W19 jtl: Contemporary French & Francophone Studies issn: 17409292 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: Sep2026 vid: 30 iid: 4 pid: 377 pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd artinfo: ui: 196293664 10.1080/17409292.2026.2698317 ppf: 982 ppct: 15 formats: tig: atl: America in French: From Enlightenment Projection to Political Instrument (1770–1788). aug: au: Rode, Iris de affil: Karsh Institute of Democracy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA su: Atlantic Ocean United States France Enlightenment Cultural relations Political reform Eighteenth century French history American Revolutionary War, 1775-1783 sug: subj: Enlightenment Cultural relations Atlantic Ocean United States France Political reform Eighteenth century French history American Revolutionary War, 1775-1783 keyword: American Revolution enlightenment François-Jean de Chastellux Franco–American relations political thought transatlantic history American Revolution enlightenment François-Jean de Chastellux Franco–American relations political thought transatlantic history ab: This article examines how François-Jean de Chastellux (1734–1788) constructed and reworked representations of America between the 1770s and 1780s. Drawing on his published writings and previously unpublished archival materials, it traces the evolution of his understanding of America from Enlightenment projection to lived experience and finally to a political reference point in debates about reform in France. Before crossing the Atlantic, Chastellux imagined America through the lens of Enlightenment thought, viewing it as a potential site for the realization of principles such as liberty, commerce, and public happiness. His service as a major general in Rochambeau's army during the American Revolution and his extensive travels throughout the United States complicated these assumptions, revealing a society marked by both promise and contradiction. After his return to France, America became for Chastellux not merely an object of observation but a tool for reflecting on political and social reform. By following this trajectory, the article argues that "America in French" was not a fixed image but a dynamic and contested construction shaped through transatlantic exchange, experience, and political reflection. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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