French Literature Reviews - 2026

The Universities of Europe (Découvertes Gallimard).
History, Politics and Society

Marie-Laure Le Foulon, Jean-Maurice de Montremy

THE UNIVERSITIES OF EUROPE [2008],

128 pages, ill., softcover with illustrated cover, 125 x 178 mm. Découvertes Gallimard Collection (No. 529), Culture and Society series, Gallimard -doc. ISBN 9782070357994. Publication date: 25-08-2008. €13.50

It was in Bologna, at the beginning of the 12th century, that Europe's first university was born, soon followed by Paris and Oxford, Salamanca and Coimbra. While scholars and students wandered from one nation to another across a shared European landscape of knowledge, the University became a political and religious battleground... before losing its prestige, resistant as it was to the new knowledge—particularly scientific knowledge—of the Age of Enlightenment. Then came the refounding: in the 19th century, major models—above all German, as well as English and French—took shape, though the rise of nationalism, coupled with industrial competition between nations, severely challenged the universality of the University. From the post-war period to the 1960s, as the baby-boom generation flooded in, restructuring became essential. This was an era of reform, but also of student protest, both in the West and in the East. Today, with the enlargement of the European Union and the success of the Erasmus programme launched in 1987, current major initiatives—such as poles of excellence, research hubs, and the harmonization of degrees—have turned academic Europe into much more than just a challenge: they have made it a reality.

The institutional history of higher education in Europe unfolds across centuries of religious, political, and intellectual transformation. Beginning with medieval foundations in Bologna, Paris, and Oxford, academic institutions evolved from early centers of scholarly learning into contested political spaces. Over time, universities faced resistance to Enlightenment science before undergoing nineteenth-century national refoundings modeled largely on German, English, and French systems. Twentieth-century pressures, including post-war expansion and student movements, eventually led to sweeping structural reforms across East and West alike.

Today, contemporary developments such as the Erasmus programme, research hubs, and degree harmonization continue to shape the modern academic landscape. Readers interested in the historical evolution of educational institutions and European cultural history may find this survey a relevant addition to their reading. The volume traces these trajectories through a concise format characteristic of the documentary series published by Gallimard.