Logo

France

France’s Most Famous Astronomer Was Also a Ghost Hunter

A Ghost in the Machine

At a time when spirit mediums, levitating tables and haunted houses were wildly popular phenomena, Camille Flammarion, then France’s most famous scientist, sought to separate fact from fiction. His research still holds lessons for today’s world.

The French Left Is United, Not for the First Time

Reunifying the Left

Just a few days after Macron’s explosive dissolution of the National Assembly, 25 parties on the French left chose unity, forming the New Popular Front to counter the risk of a far-right majority. But what, if anything, can be learned from the first Popular Front of the 1930s?

The Medieval Practice of Fire Cutting Is Finding Its Way Into French Hospitals

The Medieval Practice of Fire Cutting Is Finding Its Way Into French Hospitals

For centuries, a secret form of healing called fire cutting has been practiced in France as a way to soothe burns and other irritations. After 200 years underground, it is reemerging in a surprising location: hospitals.

Paris Police Are Cracking Down on Vulnerable Communities Ahead of the Olympics

Paris Police Are Cracking Down on Vulnerable Communities Ahead of the Olympics

Earlier this year, 17 organizations issued a report accusing French authorities of “forcefully” evicting vulnerable communities across Paris ahead of the Olympic Games, including sex workers. They mentioned “increased repression” by authorities, warning of detrimental consequences for the safety and well-being of women.

Paris Syndrome — with Nabila Ramdani

Paris Syndrome — with Nabila Ramdani

Crumbling institutions, civil strife and economic stagnation — can France be fixed? Nabila Ramdani breaks it down for New Lines magazine’s Faisal Al Yafai on The Lede.

In France, Aging Migrants Confront the Myth of Returning Home

In France, Aging Migrants Confront the Myth of Returning Home

Immigrants from France’s colonial empire, especially from Algeria, arrived in great numbers during the period following World War II when France needed cheap labor. But in the minds of both the immigrants themselves and the French government, they were never supposed to stay this long.

The French Government Is Trying To Outlaw an Environmental Movement

The French Government Is Trying To Outlaw an Environmental Movement

Following several violent clashes between the environmentalist group Les Soulevements de la Terre and the police, the French government has issued a decree to officially dissolve the movement, thus making it illegal — in a move usually reserved for suspected Islamist terrorist groups or far-right militants.