Books & ideas

The many roles of women in medieval music

Anne-Zoé Rillon-Marne — 2026-10-08T08:00:01Z

During the Middle Ages, women didn't just listen to music. They sang, composed, copied, and transmitted it. Behind the silence of the sources, there exits, from cloisters to courts, a form of musical life that remains largely unknown. A new book brings to life these flourishing musical practices.

From value to values

Jean-Michel Servet — 2026-10-06T06:36:50Z

Has the idea of value lost value? By considering the concept in its plurality, Éric Dacheux and Daniel Goujoun make a case for an economy that is social, ecological, and deliberative.

Self-management, everywhere, all the time

Bertrand Vaillant — 2026-10-01T07:30:00Z

Céline Marty offers an in-depth interpretation and contextualization of André Gorz's philosophical oeuvre. Through a careful examination of his vision of a society of subjects that are truly autonomous—in work as in life—she sheds light on the coherence and radicalness of this highly original form of ecosocialism.

Art for money's sake

Jean-Louis Fabiani — 2026-09-29T06:42:10Z

How does art acquire commercial value? In this book, two historians concentrate on the “first market” for art, which exists prior to the resale market and speculative strategies. It examines the decisive moment when an artwork leaves the studio, the artist sets their price, and the artwork reaches the public.

Carnivalizing Capital

Julien Le Mauff — 2026-09-24T07:29:00Z

Part celebration, part demonstration, the activist carnival has emerged as a form that blends festive traditions and subversive politics. As a strategy for mobilization as well as transgression, carnival blurs the boundary between revolt and theater.

The discreet power of ambassadors' wives

Carl Petersen — 2026-09-22T06:30:00Z

Despite being confined to diplomacy's backstage, ambassadors' wives were the invisible architects of France's prestige abroad. From social receptions to soft power, Isabelle Dasque examines two centuries of feminine influence.

Do Our Emotions Have a Culture?

Jules Naudet — 2026-09-18T09:00:00Z

Jeanne Tsai and Batja Mesquita show how emotions are shaped by cultural logics that orient our relationships and judgments. Their conversation raises a broader question: what does it mean to understand others in culturally plural societies?

Reflecting on Poverty, Fostering Solidarity

Julien Le Mauff — 2026-09-17T06:30:00Z

Active in the fight against poverty since the 1950s, the ATD Fourth World movement has successfully combined grassroots action, research and advocacy, exerting a lasting influence on social policies in France and internationally.

Back to the welfare state?

Étienne Goron — 2026-09-15T07:05:02Z

Amid the never-ending crisis of the welfare state and the waning of the principle of solidarity, Sacha Lévy-Bruhl proposes a new interpretation. Starting from the idea of collective responsibility, he pursues an important goal: rethinking social protection in the twenty-first century.

Left behind by personal autonomy

Romain Philit — 2026-09-10T07:40:16Z

What are the emancipatory prospects for women excluded from salaried work? By analyzing working-class Maghrebin women's attitudes towards work, family, and heterosexuality, Fatma Çingi Kocadost shows the limits of individual emancipation through work.