French Literature Reviews - 2026

Y. Jambon, Aux marges des villes modernes : Les faubourgs dans le Royaume de France du XVIe au début du XIXe s.
History, Politics and Society

Bibliographic reference: Yannick JAMBON, Aux marges des villes modernes : Les faubourgs dans le Royaume de France du XVIe au début du XIXe siècle, Presses universitaires de Lyon, 2017. EAN13 : 9782729709136.

Foreword by Peter Clark

Afterword by Olivier Zeller

While suburban areas have been thoroughly studied by medieval and contemporary historians, they remain relatively overlooked in the early modern period; this book represents the first comprehensive study dedicated to early modern suburban spaces. Situated beyond city boundaries—most often marked by fortifications or promenades—suburbs nonetheless proved essential to urban development. Far from being zones of relegation, in the early modern era they were sites of genuine dynamism, at times rivaling the cities themselves.

Drawing on extensive archival collections, the author examines the complex relationships between the city, the suburbs, and the countryside, gradually revealing the specific nature and diversity of these marginal territories. Through a wide variety of sources and approaches—including demography, migration, economic sectors, the socio-professional categories of suburban residents, and architecture—the book offers a nuanced analysis of these constantly shifting spaces, highlighting their significance for contemporary research from both historical and social perspectives.

Yannick Jambon is a certified secondary school teacher of history and geography. He defended his doctoral dissertation in 2010 and continues his research on the history of suburban spaces. Alongside Mathieu Grenet and Marie-Laure Ville, he recently co-edited the volume Histoire urbaine et sciences sociales : mélanges en l’honneur du professeur Olivier Zeller (Paris, Classiques Garnier, 2014).

The study of urban peripheries has long been a focal point for historians interested in the evolution of social and economic structures. While the medieval period and the contemporary era have received significant scholarly attention regarding suburban growth, the early modern period has often remained in the background of such research. By investigating the areas situated beyond traditional city fortifications, this work situates itself within the broader field of urban history, which seeks to understand how cities expanded and interacted with their surrounding rural environments during centuries of transition.

Yannick Jambon's Aux marges des villes modernes : Les faubourgs dans le Royaume de France du XVIe au début du XIXe siècle examines demography, migration patterns, and the socio-professional composition of residents in early modern suburbs. These spaces are presented as dynamic zones that interacted with urban centers and the countryside. Readers interested in the history of urban development and the shifting boundaries of early modern society may find this analysis of the relationship between cities, suburbs, and the countryside relevant to their understanding of historical geography and social organization.