France-Asia: Cultural Identity and Creative Exchange

The introductory article in this special issue on cultural exchange and creative identity between France and East Asia during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries brings attention to historical relationships that have often been overshadowed by French and Francophone studies’ focus on the Mediterranean Orient. The essay also explores the importance of cross-cultural interactions, individual agency, and everyday modes of cultural production within the context of current debates in Orientalism. Sharing knowledge, exchanging objects, translating texts, and flânerie provide a few examples of the complex exchanges that blur cultural and geospatial borders and characterize increased globalization in the modern age.