Feb
19
Proposed paper topic: French deficits and their effects
February 19, 2015 | 10 Comments
Hello. A paper topic I am interested in pertains to the deficit ancien regime France incurred before the French Revolution. For instance, I know that the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763) between France and Great Britain is ultimately what caused the deficits. After the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), Great Britain, for whatever reason, was able to pay back its debts; however, France was not able to do so.
The research question I want to answer is: How did the deficit affect the political system of ancien regime France? I do believe that this topic relates to oversharing. For instance, did French subjects believe that they ‘overshared’ their participation during the Seven Years’ and American Revolutionary Wars? Did they ‘overshare’ their enthusiasm and ability to pay back the deficit through means such as the corvee? Was the French state’s imperative for soldiers and subjects to fight in wars and pay back debts a demand for oversharing the French people’s energy?
On a philosophical note, I do believe that an answer to the research question can illuminate the nature of war and how it affects members of a commonwealth economically and emotionally. Does anyone benefit from war (i.e. weapon manufacturers, pensioners, etc.)? In its totality, does war garner in more costs than benefits for members of a nation?
Comments
10 Comments so far
I have to admit that I think that this paper topic, while extremely interesting and worth pursuing, seems outside the boundaries of the course concerns….
…it is interesting in a way to see the stretched definition of “oversharing” but I think it strains too much…I could imagine a paper linking financial to emotional expenditure, but as it stands the proposal is really about literal wartime expenses, so it veers away from the kinds of things we are typically discussing.
If I refined my thesis question to “How did the financial burden during Pre-Revolutionary France affect the French people emotionally?,” do you think I could have a more workable research question?
I have to say…I don’t think that revision would be enough to make this topic work…it still does not have anything at all to do with the topic of the seminar, which is “oversharing”–which encompasses themes like:
–privacy
–“too much information”
–frankness, candor
–self-revelation/ sharing of information
–social media revelations and self-presentations
–the refusal to “overshare” or to share information
Perhaps re-read the course description and see if it gives you ideas; I am also very eager to meet in person and see if we can work together to find a topic that does engage with our class themes.
Other topics include but are not limited to:
-secrecy and the revelation of secrets
–the ethics of revealing other’s secrets
–the sharing of personal information and how it is affected by race, class, gender, sexual preference, etc.
Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t think I have that much experience with Thematically-driven, academic work. Out of all the topics you discussed, the one that resonates with me most is the one that you mentioned concerning class and ‘sharing of personal information.’ One thing I know about Pre-Revolutionary historiography is that it often grapples with Jurgen Habermas’ theory of the ‘public sphere’; I’m not sure if the dichotomy that is drawn between ‘public’ and ‘private’ spheres is a theme which tangentially relates to ‘oversharing.’ Due to the fact that information was arguably filtered through newspapers, what most historians have already argued probably has more to do with undersharing than oversharing. Perhaps I can write a ‘revisionist’ paper that argues that there had in fact been more oversharing than undersharing if I find enough evidence to support the ‘oversharing’ thesis.
This is definitely getting a lot closer to a viable paper topic…give me the weekend to think a bit and I will send a more considered response…I think considering the public/ public question could indeed work well…but I still think that “oversharing” is more than just collective access to information.
If you look at Webster’s diction, “overshare” is defined as:
“the act of divulging excessive personal information, as in a blog or a broadcast interview, prompting reactions ranging from alarmed discomfort to approval.”
So what I wonder about is…could we find an example in pre-Revolutionary France of such an example of self-revelation that went too far?
I have, for example, read some material on the ways in which gossip about Marie Antoinette fostered the revolution…
But in general the overshare is VOLUNTARY–someone chooses to share “excessive” detail from their life, in public.
I will keep thinking and get back to you further after the weekend…and certainly I invite suggestions from your fellow students as well.
Hey John Paul! I noticed the back and forth here when I was checking in on my post, and I immediately thought of some reading I’ve been doing for another class on American suffragists in the early 20th century. A biography I’m reading happened to mention the influence of French thinking on a prominent American suffragist, who was harshly judged throughout her life for speaking about her principles.
I wondered if there might not be something there to look into that could combine the notion of oversharing with your interest in the French revolution.
Lo and behold (via my favorite site, JStor!) I might’ve found something! Check out this article on Amalia Holst:
Scandal Writ Large in the Wake of the French Revolution: The Case of Amalia Holst
Carol Strauss Sotiropoulos
Women in German Yearbook
Vol. 20 (2004), pp. 98-121
Published by: University of Nebraska Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.gc.cuny.edu/stable/20688974
This might not be exactly what you want to write about, but you might be able to follow a thread from here to other women or men during this period who, by writing honestly about their lives and principles, put their reputations on the line–something that falls more in line with our ideas of oversharing. Sort of like the Godwin? Just a thought!
One topic I’m thinking about is candor in communication; this article is related to that theme. Thank you!
Have you ever looked at Jean Jacques Rousseau’s _Confessions_? It was completed in 1769 but not published until 1782. In other words, it was written in the period of your greatest interest. I was considering assigning it for the class…it might be another thing to look at in terms of candor/ honesty in communication…and the revelation of (what some might consider) shameful or humiliating details.