Looking back at the Cold War from the French perspective, Charles de Gaulle exemplifies politically what many of his contemporary ideological opponents identified themselves as: dogged leaders in the fight against essentializing, homogenizing powers. This irony is not lost on students of French history and literature. Because of the many contradictions, symbolic reversals, and ensuing debates generated through the readings of the texts and discourses produced by the post-war generation, teaching this time period is particularly rich. For it allows for philosophical reflection on the old Sartre-Camus debate over the ethics of freedom, political engagement vs. solidarity, as these questions were articulated during the period of the Iron Curtain, decolonization, and now, another instance of chilly relations between France and the United States. From my experience, students at the University of Vermont are avid readers of post-war literature, poetry, and theater, especially given the interplay with politics and history. Given the new geopolitical climate the North/South disparities, making the East/West dichotomy all the more complex, bring relevance to questions regarding post-colonialism, neo-colonialism, and global spheres of influence. In addition, it is fruitful to study the two periods in tandem, as I have done in a course: students study the German occupation of France, the Resistance, and collaboration before examining the history of colonialism, the backlash of cultural traditionalists, and Westernization. While the two are not, of course, pure mirror images, by keeping the question of the ethics of freedom central to our discussion, I hope to stimulate student reflection on our prejudices, cultural lacunae and blind spots, and our responsibilities as readers of history and as actors in the world.

As my colleagues have done, I, too, wish to reflect on the role of this particular course and the study of 20th-century French literature and history in general given the current state of world affairs. In the end, when studying French colonial and post-colonial history, one cannot help, to my mind, but see the economic, military, and ideological interconnections with and parallels to the United States' involvement in the Muslim world - specifically in ongoing discourse over the use of natural resources, the viability of military outposts, the justification of armed conflict in the name of a civilizing mission, whether the overthrow of a despot or, with regard to the war in Afghanistan, the liberation of veiled women. However, one may also see that the colonial paradigm is not adequate. The current conflict, for France dating back to the terrorist attacks in the 1980s, also reflects a new stage in the explosive colonizer-colonized relationship post-decolonization. The cultural backlash has been targeting the West and its collaborators without regard for geographic boundaries or the Geneva Convention for over a generation. France and the United States are currently divided over, among other things, the ethical question of how best to respond. The essence of Sartre and Camus’ philosophical debate has meaning and presence in these discussions today.