Isabelle Bakouche

Abstract

This paper analyzes the difficulties of conducting independent research on the subject of the city in France, while exploring fruitful areas of study opened by recent scholarship that defines the urban specificity. Three of these areas are dealt with in depth: the introduction of space as an analytical tool, attention to diverse forces, and the development of urban changes. These three areas draw upon varied urban fields of study at different times, thus showing how urban history research converges on key subjects for experimentation and dialogue with other disciplines.