Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2014, French and Italian

In this dissertation, Michele Gerring analyzes scenarios in which the integration of the Maghrebi-French occurs in contemporary French settings, to a variety of degrees, as seen in several works of Beur novels and films, and select issues of the magazine, "Paris-Match," constructing a “spectrum of hospitality,” based on the theories that best contextualize the polar ends of hospitality, Derridean hospitality theory and Foucauldian power theory. After establishing her theoretical foundations in Chapter 1, she examines integration as it is depicted in Beur novels and films revealing Foucauldian-like relationships between the Maghrebi-French and the French of European descent in Chapter 2; integration as it is viewed in settings of mixed hospitality in Chapter 3, and integration as seen in novels and films featuring more favorable circumstances for the Maghrebi-French, akin to situations of “Derridean” hospitality, in Chapter 4, before analyzing the predominately-distrustful relationships revealed in some of "Paris-Match"'s portrayals of the French suburban riots of 1990-1991, 2005, 2007, and 2010, in Chapter 5. Gerring's study of Maghrebi-French integration, as it is depicted in this corpus of works, demonstrates that Derrida's concept of the mutually-beneficial guest-host relationship, part of his hospitality theory, in which the “guest” and the “host” act in the best interest of the other party, can be useful in encouraging the French of European descent and the Maghrebi-French to consider the point of view of the other party, thereby improving conditions for the other party, as well as their relationship. Additionally, instances in which hyper-ethical behavior is practiced, as individuals or representatives of larger entities take the perspective of the other party, developing empathy for them, even when there has been conflict between the parties, as exemplified by certain characters in the works analyzed in this dissertation, reveal that this exercise (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1971, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1961, Graduate School

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1984, Graduate School

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1977, Graduate School

MA, Kent State University, 2016, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History

This thesis explores the process of memorialization and cultural interpretations of the Rafle du Vel d'Hiv, or Vel d'Hiv roundups, in Paris after 1945. During the postwar period, France faced the difficult task of reuniting a divided nation wounded from the humiliation of defeat in 1940 and the reality that many French citizens had willingly collaborated with the Germans. One event in particular, the Vel d'Hiv roundups, weighed heavy on the nation's conscience as French police willingly organized and implemented the deportation of 13,152 Jews from Paris in 1942. As a result, few scholarly works existed regarding the nation's role in such atrocities and instead the memory of the Second World War focused on the legacy of a united Resistance movement under Charles de Gaulle. This image of the war would stay intact until cultural changes in the 1960s prompted a re-evaluation of the nation's past. The subsequent trials for crimes against humanity of former Vichy officials and calls for public recognition of French complicity in these roundups on behalf of the Republic prompted a public discussion of what it meant to be "French" in light of these atrocities. Popular books and films that were released in the following decade picked up where these debates left off to ensure the lessons of the past were not forgotten. Focusing on the way these changes influenced the commemoration of the Vel d'Hiv roundups, this thesis argues that by bringing issues of collaboration to the forefront of French public discourse, the public debates and conflicts that arose throughout the postwar period regarding the memory of Vichy pushed the site of the Vel d'Hiv into the spotlight and prompted the memory of this event to play an integral role in the way France redefined its past and implemented policies of memorialization for the future.

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2003, History

This study contributes to the burgeoning field of Atlantic history, exploring significant similarities, contrasts, and new creations that existed between the French colonies of Nouvelle France (New France or Canada) and Senegal of West Africa, 1608-1763. The beaver felt hat, the fashion icon of the day, commercially linked the fur trade of New France with Gum Senegal production of Senegal. Growing from these economic ties, Frenchmen in both colonies engaged in loose or formal marriages with native women (Algonquians in New France and Wolofs, Jolofs, and Lebous in Senegal), termed marriages a la facon de pays, or “country-style marriages.” These arrangements provided sexual, commercial, military, and cultural bonds. Native women and Frenchmen in North America and Africa used marriage a la facon du pays to construct economic ties and kinship networks that bound together French and native communities even after the colonial era.

MA, Kent State University, 2012, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies

The concept of laicite in France, equated by recent political rhetoric with the separation of the institutions of Church and State, began in 1905 as a release from the political and economic grip of the Catholic Church. 20th century developments in the Muslim world – outside and inside French borders - caused the French state to reevaluate its relationship with religion, however. Muslim immigration after World War II unexpectedly caused a permanent and highly visible Islamic presence in France. The violence perpetrated by radical Islamic groups became associated in the minds of the French with the Muslims gathered in French cities, and the attire and customs brought to France changed the appearance of the public space, threatening France's historical view of itself as a homogenous society. With the identity of the Republic called into question, politicians began lobbying for laws excluding Muslim practices from taking place in state institutions and progressed to advocating laws prohibiting any sign of religious belief in one's capacity as an agent of the state. With every new issue of Muslim dress or custom – the veil in public schools, the burqa, halal meal choices in public schools, and Muslim street prayers - came a renewed effort by the state to enact more legislation to abolish it. At the core of each of these arguments against Muslim rites and traditions was a misinterpreted notion of laicite. Instead of the separation of the Church from political and economic privilege and power intended and mandated by the law of 1905 and subsequent Constitutions, the French state responded to fears of radical Islamic influence and a general discomfort with religion because of France's past experiences with Catholicism and declared the mandate of the law of 1905 to be a complete relegation of religious belief and practice to the private space. The result has been a disregard for the laws the state cites as support for their exclusionary policies aga (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1967, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1924, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1972, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1969, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1961, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1970, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1914, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1970, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1969, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1964, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1926, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1950, Graduate School