Re: Beyond Google Print: Culture Wars or The French are coming!

[Stevan Harnad <harnad@ecs.soton.ac.uk>]

> As usual with France's schemes for ensuring le rayonnement de la culture
> Fran�aise...

Rarely does one read such superficial, philistine sloganeering as in the
Times article below by Charles Bremner, carping at France's efforts to
raise the cultural and linguistic level of the Web:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1530548,00.html

Instead of celebrating the fact that someone, anyone, somewhere, is
actually trying to do something to counter the globalisation of
McDonalds/MTV "culture," Bremner just does the usual jingoistic bleeting
and baiting.

Humankind itself, and history, would be the beneficiary if -- against all
odds -- the Hexagon did somehow manage to hedge the hegemony of the
mindless, faceless, driverless juggernaut that happens to propel us all in
(almost coincidentally) an anglo drone. The English tongue itself -- and
English-language theatre, film and literature -- could stand only to gain
from having to sing for its supper under some inspiration from alloglot
competitors.

Stevan Harnad
Chaire de recherche du Canada
Centre de neuroscience de la cognition (CNC)
Universit� du Qu�bec � Montr�al
Montr�al, Qu�bec,  Canada  H3C 3P8
tel: 1-514-987-3000 2461#
fax: 1-514-987-8952
harnad@uqam.ca
http://www.crsc.uqam.ca/fr/index2.html

On Sat, 19 Mar 2005, Ann Okerson wrote:

> Of possible interest; a fairly remarkable piece of news.
> 
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> 
> from The Times of London
> March 18, 2005
> 
> French classics enter cyberspace
> 
> By Charles Bremner
> 
> Victor  Hugo  sent  to fight Harry Potter in cultural warfare
> 
> PRESIDENT CHIRAC is expected to ask Germany, Spain and Russia today to
> join France in a �counter-attack� on American culture by making the
> collected works of continental literature available online.
> 
> M Chirac opened the latest front in France�s cultural war on Wednesday,
> when he ordered the Culture Ministry and the National Library to counter
> Google Print, a project by the leading � America search engine which will
> make 15 million books in English available on the internet.
> 
> As with Gallic resistance to Hollywood and �Anglo-Saxon� pop music, the
> French are alarmed that Google Print may brainwash the world with its
> English-language views.  American culture �tends to erase the other
> cultures�, M Chirac said last year.  The Google scheme, will draw on
> respected academic and public libraries but could lead to the ultimate
> French nightmare: the world learning French history from English-language
> books.
> 
> Jean-No�l Jeanneney, the director of the French National Library, who is
> heading M Chirac�s project, sketched this vision last month.
> 
> M Jeanneney said the �heavily biased� British and American version of the
> French Revolution would be all about �valiant British aristocrats
> triumphing over bloodthirsty Jacobins and the guillotine blotting out the
> rights of man�.
> 
> �The challenge is immense,� he said. �Here we have the risk of America
> reinforcing its crushing domination of future generations� understanding
> of the world.�
> 
> M Chirac is expected to propose his Europe-wide virtual library when he
> holds a summit in Paris today with Gerhard Schr�der, the German
> Chancellor, Jos� Luis Rodr�guez Zapatero, the Prime Minister of Spain, and
> Vladimir Putin, the Russian President.
> 
> M Chirac is due to accompany Mr Putin on a visit to the Paris book fair,
> which opens today with Russian literature as this year�s theme.
> 
> The Elys�e Palace said that the French leader was keen to bring Britain
> and the British Library into his European scheme, which would take about
> five years to launch.
> 
> It said that Paris might consider working with Google but wanted to start
> from a position of strength.
> 
> Paris was not trying to pick a fight with the Americans or combat the
> �omnigooglisation� of the world, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, the Culture
> Minister, said. �We just want everyone to be able to exert the influence
> of their own talents, heritage, history and culture.�
> 
> As usual with France�s schemes for ensuring le rayonnement de la culture
> Fran�aise, the taxpayer will cover much of the cost.  Google�s plan is
> costing an initial �100 million.
> 
> Paris is still awaiting a verdict from the EU Commission on its previous
> attempt to bestow Gallic influence on the world: M Chirac�s
> French-language news channel, designed to counter the global power of the
> US Cable News Network � CNN � and BBC World.
> 
> The Brussels competition watchdog must approve the heavy state subsidy for
> the channel, which is to be operated jointly by TF1, the biggest
> commercial network, and France Television, the state network, at a cost of
> �50 million a year.
> 
> Maurice A. O'Sullivan  [ Bray, Ireland ]
> mauros@iol.ie
> copyright 2005