For the third year in a row, the Higher Education, Research and Innovation Department of the French Embassy and the French Institute have collaborated with the York Festival of Ideas to bring French and UK historians in discussion around key themes in French culture, society and politics.
This year, on Saturday 15 June, three panels focussed on the topic of fashion, food and feminism, bringing academic and non-academic leaders in their fields in discussion. Six promising undergraduates and postgraduates who received grants to attend the conference have written up a series of reports to give us a taste of the day – the reports will be published over the course of the week, so stay tuned to talk fashion, food & feminism!
(1) IS FASHION ONLY FRENCH? Report by Alexandra Stuart & Sophie Rees
Oriolle Cullen (curator Dior exhibition)
Sophie Kurkdjian, (CNRS/IHTP historian)
Farid Chenoune (Institut Français de la Mode)
Caroline Evans (University of the Arts London)
Jenny Lister (V&A curator)
Shahidha Bari (London College of Fashion)
(2) WHAT’S COOKING IN FOOD HISTORY? Report by Jasmine Harwood & Sadie Stevens
Christopher Kissane (LSE)
Loïc Bienassis (historian French regional cuisine)
Joshua Overington (Chef)
Professor Diane Purkiss (Oxford)
Frances Atkins (Michelin-starred female chef)
(3) LOVE AND SEX ACROSS THE CHANNEL. Report by Amy McTurk and Blanche Plaquevent
Laura Beers (American University)
Sylvie Chaperon (Université Toulouse 2)
Zoe Strimpel (journalist and historian of gender and relationships in modern Britain)
Vanessa Jérôme (Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne)
