Au contraire!
Subtitle: figuring out the French
By: Gilles Asselin and Ruth Mastron
Contributors: Mastron, Ruth
Publisher: Intercultural Press; Nicholas Brealey
Published: 2010
Place of publication: Boston, MA
Language: eng
Number of pages: 308
ISBN-13: 9781931930925
Subjects: Social life and customs; French National characteristics
Description: As a culture, the French are fiercely independent yet romantic; conservative yet avant-garde; rational yet emotional. In this book the authors explore beyond the stereotypes, examining the assumptions, attitudes, patterns of thought and beliefs that make the French so ... French!
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 291-296) and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction: Not another book about France!; title: pt. 1. From far away; title: Welcome to France; title: What makes the French so French?; title: French icons : Marianne, Asterix, and the rooster; title: French cultural elements; title: The weight of the past; title: Past, present, future; title: Past subjective; title: Lessons from the past; title: They drive me crazy! Ils me rendent dingue!; title: Default mode; title: Perceptions and stereotypes; title: pt. 2. Face-to-face...; title: With the self; title: A cultural approach to the self and individualism; title: Important American "self"-related notions and their French equivalents; title: Privacy and protection of the self; title: With the family; title: The family circle; title: Child rearing; title: Personality development; title: With the school; title: The French passion for school; title: French culture and French schooling; title: Les grandes écoles; title: With friends; title: The language of friendship and love; title: Making and being friends; title: That's what friends are for; title: Friendly suggestions; title: With romance; title: Lover or friend; The art of seduction; title: The dating game and the couple; title: You say tomatoes, I say les tomates; title: With work; title: I work, therefore I am; title: My resume, your curriculum vitae; title: Dignity and conformity in the workplace; title: With politics; title: Politics and everyday life; title: The political spectrum; title: Attitudes toward politicians; title: Women in politics; title: With religion; title: Church and state; title: Catholicism a la Francaise; title: Other faiths; title: French regions; title: La Bretagne; title: L'Alsace; title: Iparralde; title: Midi-Pyrénées; title: With society; title: French and American realities; title: To be or not to be...perfect?; title: Sex rears its ugly head; title: Money makes the world go 'round; title: Authority in crisis; title: Dialogue between two worlds; title: Who do you think you are?; title: Worlds apart; title: France in the twenty-first century; title: pt. 3. Coming together : for what; and how?; title: Rhône-Poulenc Rorer : case study of a successful French-American merger; title: Corporate culture and national culture; title: Appraising the success of the merger; title: Blending management practices and decision-making power; title: Conclusions; title: Working across cultures; title: Analyzing intercultural interactions; title: Getting together; title: Running the business; title: Managing people; title: Professional guidelines; title: Guidelines for building trust and developing relationships; title: Guidelines for American managers in France; title: Guidelines for French managers in the United States; title: How to succeed in an expatriate assignment : insights and guidelines; title: Cultural insights; title: Cultural guidelines; title: Appendix A: The French school system; title: Appendix B: Nuts and bolts of social etiquette in France; title: Appendix C: Sojourning : start with an empty suitcase.