Au contraire! : figuring out the French / Gilles Asselin and Ruth Mastron.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 291-296) and index.

Introduction: Not another book about France! -- pt. 1. From far away -- Welcome to France -- What makes the French so French? -- French icons : Marianne, Asterix, and the rooster -- French cultural elements -- The weight of the past -- Past, present, future -- Past subjective -- Lessons from the past -- They drive me crazy! Ils me rendent dingue! -- Default mode -- Perceptions and stereotypes -- pt. 2. Face-to-face... -- With the self -- A cultural approach to the self and individualism -- Important American "self"-related notions and their French equivalents -- Privacy and protection of the self -- With the family -- The family circle -- Child rearing -- Personality development -- With the school -- The French passion for school -- French culture and French schooling -- Les grandes écoles -- With friends -- The language of friendship and love -- Making and being friends -- That's what friends are for -- Friendly suggestions -- With romance -- Lover or friend; The art of seduction -- The dating game and the couple -- You say tomatoes, I say les tomates -- With work -- I work, therefore I am -- My resume, your curriculum vitae -- Dignity and conformity in the workplace -- With politics -- Politics and everyday life -- The political spectrum -- Attitudes toward politicians -- Women in politics -- With religion -- Church and state -- Catholicism a la Francaise -- Other faiths -- French regions -- La Bretagne -- L'Alsace -- Iparralde -- Midi-Pyrénées -- With society -- French and American realities -- To be or not to be...perfect? -- Sex rears its ugly head -- Money makes the world go 'round -- Authority in crisis -- Dialogue between two worlds -- Who do you think you are? -- Worlds apart -- France in the twenty-first century -- pt. 3. Coming together : for what; and how? -- Rhône-Poulenc Rorer : case study of a successful French-American merger -- Corporate culture and national culture -- Appraising the success of the merger -- Blending management practices and decision-making power -- Conclusions -- Working across cultures -- Analyzing intercultural interactions -- Getting together -- Running the business -- Managing people -- Professional guidelines -- Guidelines for building trust and developing relationships -- Guidelines for American managers in France -- Guidelines for French managers in the United States -- How to succeed in an expatriate assignment : insights and guidelines -- Cultural insights -- Cultural guidelines -- Appendix A: The French school system -- Appendix B: Nuts and bolts of social etiquette in France -- Appendix C: Sojourning : start with an empty suitcase.