Examining how t he qualifier "American' has been used in contemporary French writings (e.g. Deleuze), historian Perriaux shows how America has come to be seen by some French intellectuals äs the radical "other." In the late 1970s, the reference began by signifying a worid view and an approach totally foreign to the Cartesian method, less äs an intrinsic property (American-ness) than äs a characteristic way ofdoing things. Grasping the significance of the term reveals all at once a certain perception of the US and its inhabitants, clarifies the reference to things "American' (äs in litterature americainej, andbroaches the meaning ofspeaking "American" (langue americainej, rather than "English" (a European language) in Europe today.
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