ACE is dedicated to the fields of Anglistics, in particular the literature, linguistics and civilisation of the English-speaking world. It brings together researchers working on the English-speaking areas (Great Britain, Ireland, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India) and on the language/culture nodes specific to each geographical area. The team members are specialists in fields as varied as literature, enunciative linguistics, history, history of ideas, history of the arts, philosophy, film studies, cultural studies, etc. Their work focuses on the analysis of cultural, philosophical and social phenomena by covering so-called classical disciplinary fields, as well as others that are more emerging (popular cultural and artistic manifestations, gender studies, animal ethics, television series, the spiritual, etc.). The theme chosen for the current contract is that of “common places” and opens up several perspectives of analysis: how received ideas are formed and circulated (critical conception), how to think of a linguistic, cultural, social and political life on a democratic and collective basis (utopian tradition) and how to make new commons emerge within increasingly divided societies (practical dimension). ACE is a member of the scientific interest grouping Institute of the Americas.
Key words
cultural consumption – issues and mutations in the English-speaking world – war memories (19th – 21st century) – environment, political and social ecology in Great Britain – discourses and ideologies – representations and ideologies in a dematerialized society – North America – Great Britain – ideology – representation – American and English literature – political phenomena – British art – literary criticism – religions – postmodernism – mass culture and popular culture – animal studies
Key figures
ACE has 35 permanent teacher-researchers, 6 PhD students and 10 associate members.
Research themes
EPIC – Environment, Politics, Identities, Culture
EPIC (Environment, Politics, Identities, Cultures) studies political and historical aspects of different English-speaking countries. Several recurring themes form the basis of this axis: cultural consumption, war memories, the environment, political and social ecology. Other, more recent approaches, are closely interested in gender relations, the place of popular culture in the aesthetics of television series. Within this axis, ACE is part of the Scientist Interest Group (GIS Irish studies and GIS Institute of the Americas of Rennes) and strengthens scientific partnerships both in France (GUEST-Normandy program) and abroad.
TELL (Theory, Critical Studies, Linguistics, Literature)
TELL (Theory, Critical Studies, Linguistics, Literature) brings together researchers whose work focuses more specifically on the theoretical questioning of the contemporary. It is in this axis that work on animal ethics is developed. In the same way, within the framework of the THEORIAS network, part of the research focuses on questions related to spirituality and religion. Linguistics work is linked to action research, but also to the analysis of television series. Finally, one theme of this axis is dematerialization and is particularly interested in the post-human theories.