French Literature Reviews - 2026
A. Bergé, M. Collot, J. Mottet (eds.), European Landscapes and Globalization
History, Politics and Society
European Landscapes and Globalization, edited by Aline Bergé, Michel Collot, and Jean Mottet,
Champ Vallon, "Pays/Paysages" series, 2012, 448 p.
ISBN: 9782876735880
27 euros.
Back cover
Who in France is aware of the existence of the "European Landscape Convention," which defines landscape as "a fundamental part of Europe's cultural and natural heritage"?
Today, European landscapes are undergoing rapid transformation driven by globalization. This volume provides a deeper understanding of the many issues—political, social, economic, ecological, as well as cultural and artistic—at stake in this evolution. Bringing together specialists from several countries and various disciplines (law, political science, sociology, urban planning, economics, history, geography, philosophy, visual arts, literature, etc.), this book offers a broad, richly illustrated panorama of European landscapes and their literary and artistic representations.
Table of Contents
Preface
Aline Bergé, Michel Collot, Jean Mottet 5
I. A Historical Turning Point
Michel PRIEUR
Legal Aspects of the European Landscape Convention
Yves LUGINBÜHL
The European Landscape Convention in the Service of Democracy and Human Rights
Florencio ZOIDO
Human Rights, Territory, and Landscape
Gérard GUILLAUMIN
The European Dimension of the Research Program "Landscape and Sustainable Development"
Joan NOGUÉ
The Creation of New Reference Landscapes
Jean-Marc BESSE
From the Perspective of Space: What Kind of History for the European Landscape?
Giorgio BERTONE
Toward a Historical Redefinition of Landscape: The Literary Perspective
Michel COLLOT
Landscape and European Identity/Identities
Aline BERGÉ
The Meaning of Landscape and the Sharing of the World
From the Provincialization of Europe to the Quest for Common Ground
II. FIELDWORK AND INTERACTIONS
Guillaume LACQUEMENT
Landscape as a Resource for Local Development in the East German Countryside
Véronique FOURAULT-CAUËT
Landscape in Mediterranean Forest Management: Toward a European Approach?
Pascal MARTY
The End of the Agrarian Landscape and the Return of Wilderness?
Pierre DONADIEU
Construction and Deconstruction of European Landscape Identities in Urban Areas
Enrico FONTANARI
The Landscape Dimension of Contemporary Urban Design
Sylvie NAIL, Mark JOHNSTON
"Native" or "Non Grata": Plant Discourse in Today's Multicultural Great Britain
Mariella ZOPPI
Myths, Icons, and Realities of the Tuscan Landscape
Benjamin LYSANIUK, Martine TABEAUD
The Banalization of Landscape Images: An Effect of Globalization?
III. ARTISTIC PRACTICES
Christian DOUMET
Philosophy of the Folding Screen
Sorin ALEXANDRESCU
Viewer and Landscape: The Contemporary Era
Anna MCBRIDE
Reconfigurations from the Old World to the New World:
The Work of Painter and Writer Emily Carr (1871–1945)
Richard CONTE
"Ah God! How Pretty the Earth Is."
Colette GARRAUD
Selected Artistic Interventions in European Landscapes
Wissam MOUAWAD
New Territorialities – New Landscapes
IV. CINEMATIC LANDSCAPES
Antonio COSTA
Here and Elsewhere, a Long Time Ago... Toward an Archaeology of Globalization in Cinema
Sandro BERNARDI
The Destructuring of the Classical Narrative Sequence: Landscape and Cultures in Contemporary Cinema
Jean MOTTET
From the European Heritage Film to Mosaic Aesthetics: Remarks on Some Recent Avatars of Globalization in Cinema
José MOURE
Europe: The Elusive Landscape in Manoel de Oliveira's *A Talking Picture*.
Estelle BAYON
The Post-Communist Landscape in the Heart of Europe: The Example of Béla Tarr.
Jessie MARTIN
Nostalghia, Toward touard the Ideal of the "Global Landscape."
Antoine GAUDIN
European Landscapes and Globalized Warfare: On Two "Conversion Narratives"
Fabienne COSTA
Landscape Does Not Take Place: Jia Zhang-ke's *The World* (2004).
Ik-Joo LEE
The Loss or Return of Landscape in Jia Zhang-ke's *Still Life*.
Edited by Aline Bergé, Michel Collot, and Jean Mottet, this collective volume examines the profound transformations affecting natural and cultural environments under the pressure of contemporary economic and social shifts. By bringing together perspectives from geography, legal studies, philosophy, literature, and the visual arts, the collection investigates how physical surroundings are shaped, perceived, and valued across different regions. It serves as an essential resource for researchers, urban planners, and scholars interested in the intersection of environmental policy, cultural heritage, and modern spatial practices within an increasingly interconnected world.
The book is particularly valuable for readers seeking to understand the theoretical and practical implications of the European Landscape Convention, analyzing its role in fostering democratic values and sustainable development. Through targeted case studies and broader aesthetic inquiries, the contributions address complex questions regarding collective identity, regional heritage, and the representation of territory in literature and cinema. Scholars and students of cultural studies, human geography, and environmental humanities will find it a comprehensive guide to the evolving meanings of space in modern Europe.