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Le Goff, Jacques
2 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Jacques Le Goff on Europe's capacity for integration
Commenting on France's deportations of Roma in the left-liberal daily La Repubblica, French historian Jacques Le Goff urges dialogue, pointing to Europe's common roots: "As a historian I believe Europe's thousand-year history has been shaped by the diversity of its peoples, the mixture of cultures and their progressive integration. Europe emerged from the amalgamation of the so-called Roman, Gallic-Roman and Spanish-Roman peoples ... with the so-called Barbarians, a word that is banned from the vocabulary of historians today. Nowadays fortunately we no longer despise anyone who doesn't belong to what are referred to as the higher cultures. Historians and all those who wield social influence should show that what makes Europe special is its ability to integrate even those who are different. For sure, the problems with the integration of foreigners evident all over Europe today are connected to the growing number of immigrants in recent years. But we shouldn't forget that in late antiquity and in the Middle Ages the numbers of the so-called Barbarians - the Celts, the ancient Germanic peoples and the Slavs - who roved Europe were much higher."
» more information (external link, Italian)
More from the press review on the subject » Migration, » Integration, » History, » Europe
Is the right to strike being questioned?
On August 2nd, French Parliament voted for the organisation of minimum service in public transport in the event of a strike. Professor of law, Jacques Le Goff, interviewed by Nathalie Funès, sees no infringement of the right to strike. "This is less a breach, than an adaptation [of the law] to a more peaceful and complex society. No right can be considered absolute these days. ... In France, conflict has always been deeply anchored in our social conscience. Strikes are considered a means of asserting identity in a balance of power that is not guaranteed by trade unions. This is contrary to other countries where trade unions don't need to resort to such intimidation. Hence France's particularity: we start by stopping work, which is equivalent to slamming your fist down on the table, and only then do we start negotiating, whereas striking is the result of a blockage between bosses and unions in the United Kingdom or in Germany. Foreseeing strikes is part of the new law's logic. This is moving us closer to our neighbours."
» full article (external link, French)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Infrastructure / Travel and Transport, » Social movements, » Germany, » France, » United Kingdom
All available articles from » Nathalie Funès
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