La France profonde is a phrase that denotes the existence of deep, and profoundly "French" aspects of the culture of French provincial towns, of French village life and rural agricultural culture, which escape the "dominant ideologies" (Dion's expression) and the hegemony

Hegemony

Hegemony is an indirect form of imperial dominance in which the hegemon rules sub-ordinate states by the implied means of power rather than direct military force. In Ancient Greece , hegemony denoted the politico–military dominance of a city-state over other city-states...

 of Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

. It was made familiar to English readers in Michel Dion's radical critique, La France profonde, predicting a union of de-Communised socialism

Socialism

Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...

 with a reformed Catholic Church. France profonde was popularized in Celia Brayfield

Celia Brayfield

Celia Brayfield is an English author, journalist and cultural commentator. She was born in London in 1945.-Career:Following her childhood role model, Robert Louis Stevenson, Celia decided to begin her writing career as a journalist and joined the Sixties...

's Deep France: A Writer's Year in La France profonde (2004) retitled in paperback Deep France: A Writer's Year in the Béarn.

"Deep France" is seen to be profoundly localist

Localism (politics)

Localism describes a range of political philosophies which prioritize the local. Generally, localism supports local production and consumption of goods, local control of government, and promotion of local history, local culture and local identity...

 in outlook and to be receding in the face of international mass culture.

Albert Kahn

Albert Kahn (banker)

Albert Kahn was a French banker and philanthropist. He was born Abraham Kahn at Marmoutier, Bas-Rhin, France on 3 March 1860, into a Jewish family, one of 5 children of his parents, Louis and Babette Kahn. He died at Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France on 14 November 1940.In 1879 Kahn...

's photographic and cinematographic studies at the beginning of the 20th century, possibly for the first time helped depict French provincial life and in doing so gave some vision into France profonde.

See also

• Deep England
• Middle America
• The Discovery of France
  The Discovery of France
  The Discovery of France: A Historical Geography, from the Revolution to the First World War is a book by Graham Robb. It was published in the United Kingdom by Picador in September 2007 and in the United States by W. W. Norton and Company in October 2007...