What was French theory? Why and how did this constellation of names and ideas, imported from diverse fields in twentieth century Paris, create such ruction, such antagonism in British cultural life? Names like Barthes, Derrida, Foucault and Kristeva were hot on the lips of academics, artists, musicians, and performers, from the British Film Institute to the New Music Express and every cultural space in between. French theory became a byword for progression, provocation, and maybe even a little pretentiousness, too.

This event examines how British cultural life shifted when French theory was introduced and asks how and why French theory was so fertile across so many disciplines? How did its uses and abuses create space for fresh forms of thinking about the way we live and experience the world? And is French theory really to blame for the dire state of the humanities in university life?

Oh, Theory Me! will feature contributions from novelist and artist Susan Finlay, acclaimed cultural critic Sukhdev Sandhu, musician and academic Caroline Kennedy, and more to be announced. It will also feature a rare screening of The Late Show: Roland Barthes, a BBC special from 1990 dedicated to the life of Barthes, perhaps the most famous of the French theorists.

The event is curated by the Independent Social Research Foundation and Dr Colm McAuliffe whose book on the reception of French theory in Britain will be published by University of Minnesota Press in 2027.