French Literature Reviews - 2026
Taking the Floor
History, Politics and Society
In Prendre la parole. L'histoire orale entre récits, imaginaires et dialogues, the Marseille-based publisher Agone presents both a polyphonic synthesis of Alessandro Portelli's work and an introduction to his writings, published here in French for the first time. The book is structured around two main themes. The first is of a social and political nature: it explores the history of working-class cities and factories in Italy in connection with the history of contemporary social and political conflicts, while also extending into the analysis of trade union history and civil rights struggles in the United States. The second theme focuses on the role of oral history as a driving force in historical narrative and as a revealer of linguistic practices. The research spans a rich variety of fields: American and Italian popular music; the history of the Italian working-class resistance during World War II in the face of fascist repression; and the history of more recent conflicts and contemporary student movements. The collection features previously unpublished materials derived from Portelli's two primary fields of research: the working-class memory of the Appalachian coal mines in Harlan County (Kentucky, USA) and that of the steel-producing city of Terni (Umbria, Italy). Both fields have been the subject of benchmark publications set to be released by the same publisher in the coming months. Browse through the book… or discover it online via Cairn…
On the subject of oral history, we would like to recall the recent issue of Gradhiva, edited by Irene Albers and Éléonore Devevey: "Stolen Words: Pathways of Oral Literature".
Oral history as a discipline seeks to document the past through the recorded memories of individuals, often focusing on those whose experiences are absent from traditional written archives. By prioritizing the spoken word, researchers can uncover how subjective narratives shape historical understanding and reveal the complexities of linguistic expression. This approach is significant in the study of labor movements and social conflicts, where personal testimony provides insight into the lived reality of political resistance. Readers interested in the methodologies of documenting collective memory and the intersection of social history with oral narrative may find this collection relevant.
The work of Alessandro Portelli is situated within the broader tradition of social history, which emphasizes the importance of grassroots experiences in understanding national and international developments. His research bridges cultural studies and political history, particularly through the analysis of industrial communities and their specific modes of storytelling. As noted in Prendre la parole. L'histoire orale entre récits, imaginaires et dialogues, this research explores the history of working-class cities and factories in Italy and the United States, as well as the role of oral history in historical narrative and linguistic practices.