Contentious Representations: Interpretations of the Representation of French Regional Architecture 1914-1939

Abstract

This work attempts to trace the evolution of French regionalism during the first half of the twentieth century from the Great War into the interwar period. By examining key social and cultural factors surrounding architecture during this period, it is possible to identify key subtypes of architectural regionalism that demonstrate the effect of larger themes such as modernization and nationalism on rural architecture. Using regionalist publications and international exhibitions to anchor this discussion in the interwar period, this work argues that French regionalism was in fact a more complicated and diverse architectural movement than previously described, undergoing transitions in order to respond to modernity and the growth of France in the wake of the Great War.