The Radiance of France, New Edition - (Inside Technology) by Gabrielle Hecht (Paperback)

The Radiance of France is a groundbreaking book that explores how technological prowess and national glory became synonymous in France after World War II.

Gabrielle Hecht's innovative combination of technology studies and cultural and political history sheds new light on the role of technology in constructing national identities, making this book a seminal contribution to the history of contemporary France.

The author proposes the concept of technopolitical regime to analyze the social, political, cultural, and technological dynamics among engineering elites, unionized workers, and rural communities.

Through this lens, Hecht shows how the history of France's first generation of nuclear reactors is also a history of the multiple meanings of nationalism, from post-war redemption to 1969 and the adoption of a "Frenchified" American design.

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complex relationship between technology, politics, and culture in France and beyond.