Fransiska Louwagie

Introduction: Ego-histories, France and the Second World War

The introduction considers the origins, development and challenges of the ego-history genre. It refers to previous ego-history projects, often situated within historical studies and a specific national context, and presents the international and multidisciplinary outlook of the current volume, as well as its thematic unity, centred on the study of the history and memories of the Second World War in France. The introduction also analyses how the ego-history genre explores the relationships between the subjective and the objective in academic writing, offering insights into individual and collective intellectual trajectories. Finally, it considers the continuing presence and significance of ‘Vichy’, its afterlife in contemporary French culture and its transnational dimensions.

Conclusion: Cross-Perspectives on Ego-history

The concluding remarks in this final chapter build on individual singularities as well as collective patterns that emerge from the ego-histories presented here. First, this text reflects on how scholars in the current volume have engaged with what can be seen as certain passages obliges, essential and perhaps unavoidable steps of the ego-history genre, namely the questioning of the origins of one’s research (‘why?’, but also ‘how?’ and ‘when?’) and of the links between personal identities and intellectual trajectories. Second, it focuses on the research shifts and developments observed in the wake of the ‘Paxtonian turn’. A third section looks at interdisciplinary and collaborative openings along with the social and public role played by scholars working on this period. A fourth and final section considers ego-histories of France and the Second World War from an intergenerational perspective.

Interview with Robert O. Paxton, on the Writing of History and Ego-history

In this interview, Robert O. Paxton is invited to reflect on the writing of his own ego-history, published in 2007, and, more generally, on the writing of history across different national and academic contexts. The discussion then moves to the influence of other disciplines on history, including on his own work. Finally, Paxton reflects on the reception of his work and on the importance of the Vichy period in contemporary France.