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2.3: Land Matters

Module 2

Section 3: Land Matters

Overview

In this section we will discuss the importance of a connection to the land for French culture and identity and how that is expressed through figures like the farmer/activist José Bové. We will also examine the meaning of the terms pays (literally, “country”) and terrien.

Key terms and concepts: Pays (country), terrien, globalization, José Bové

Table of Contents:

· Chapter 2: the Land on Their Mind (Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong, pp. 15-2 9 )

· The ancient provinces

Objectives for this section:

After completing the following readings, see if you are able to do these things:

· Identify José Bové and describe what he did to make himself a modern-day hero that could be described as "typically French."

· Explain the word pays to someone who hears a French acquaintance say :"My country is the Nivernais region," and can't find it on a modern map on France.

· Give two examples that illustrate the strong tie to the land that is expressed in French attitudes towards food production and cuisine.

· Describe briefly how the earthbound or terrien mentality of the French over the centuries might have influenced the course of European history as well as the history of France

Perfume, Cheese, Wine

Chapter 2: The Land on Their Mind (Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong, pp. 15-29)

Study Questions

· List three ways in which globalization is affecting your life and the lives of your friends and family?

· Name a type of French cheese you have tried. Have you eaten Roquefort cheese? What type of cheese is it and is there anything special about it?

· Have you ever seen the French words Appellation d'origine contrôlée or the abbreviation A.O.C on French wine or other product labels? Can you guess what they mean?

This chapter opens with the story of José Bové, a French farmer who made international news in 1999 by heading up a protest aimed at addressing issues such as a surtax on Roquefort cheese, the World Trade Organization, multinational corporations, and fast food.

For more on José Bové watch this short clip (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. .

Bové made a broad statement about the effect of globalization on sheep farmers in the town of Millau by driving his tractor up to the local McDonald's and carrying out a "symbolic dismantling" of the local establishment. From this incident, N-B go on to discuss the important spiritual connection between the individual, his or her land of origin or pays, and its food products. Ties to pays (spiritual countries of origin) are keys to understanding how deeply all things related to the land and its products--both domesticated and wild-- permeate the French mindset , which is a distillation of values, customs, and history. The ancient provinces When the French refer to their pays, they often are referring to a place located in one of the old provinces, which pre-date the French Revolution. See the map below for their names.

Edmiston and Duménil. La France contemporaine, 4th Ed. Thompson-Heinle, 201-, p. 36