Books & ideas

Serial writers

Héloïse Boudon — 2026-03-12T09:30:00Z

How are television series written? Muriel Mille's study sheds light on a collective process based on a division of labor and time constraints. It represents a total break with the auteur ideal of New Wave cinema.

A Critique of TV Series

Jean-Baptiste Ghins — 2026-01-29T08:52:00Z

Digitally distributed television series are one of the key forms of contemporary entertainment. By analyzing this distinctive form of consumption, it is possible to explain these consumers' relationship to time, narratives, and decision-making.

Does the world still revolve around America?

Serge Gruzinski — 2023-02-02T08:00:00Z

The United States is no longer modernity's driving force and primary symbol. American cultural imperialism is coming to an end. What better time to recall that American culture, which is as reviled as it is adulated, is itself the result of countless mestizajes - as is the rest of the continent.

Summer Mix

Editorial Team — 2021-07-19T07:03:17Z

Books & Ideas is slowing down for the summer and will be back at the end of August. In the meantime, here is a selection of interviews, reviews and essays on popular music published over the past year.

Who Owns the Night?

Catherine Guesde — 2021-05-03T07:00:00Z

The way nightlife has been affected by the recent Covid-19 restrictions invites us to think back on the value and features of the night as we have known it for most of our lives. A pioneer in the burgeoning field of night studies, Will Straw sheds light on the history of the night and the issues related to its loss.

U.S. Hip-Hop Studies: Formation, Flow and Trajectory

Séverin Guillard — 2020-11-30T08:00:00Z

How did Hip-Hop Studies emerge as a legitimate field of study? This interview with Murray Forman, who has contributed to the development of this field in the United States, shows the links between the recognition of rap and related art forms and the rise of academic analyses.

Against the “Grain of the Voice”

Catherine Rudent — 2020-07-06T07:00:00Z

From crooning to auto-tune, the voice is at the heart of popular songs. However, it has proved difficult to study: how can something as personal be analysed? Catherine Rudent provides an overview of current approaches of the voice in popular music studies.

The Birth of Stars

Alain Chenu — 2020-01-16T08:00:00Z

Our interest in celebrities is a major structuring element of contemporary societies. According to Sharon Marcus “stars” appeared in the 19^th century in theatre, and the case of Sarah Bernhardt allows us to characterise the type of interaction that arises between the media, publics and celebrities.

Taking Metal Music Seriously

Catherine Guesde — 2019-07-04T07:06:26Z

Over the past twenty years, a new field of study has developed: metal studies. The scholars in this field are often also music enthusiasts, investigating their own passion. How can fandom be articulated with academia?

Protest Music in the Age of Trump

Ron Eyerman — 2019-04-25T07:00:00Z

The presidential election campaign and the unexpected election of Donald Trump was cause for immediate reaction from the music world in the United States and beyond. Ron Eyerman gives us an overview of that reaction.