"Mao Fever" in France: The Reception of Maoism in the French Mass Media, 1963-1979

This project delves into the phenomenon of “Mao Fever” that swept across France during the 1960s and 1970s. It examines how French Maoists embraced Mao Zedong Thought and how the broader public perceived Mao-related representations. Through quantitative and qualitative analysis of media coverage from 1963 to 1979 using the “France – Maoïstes” collection at the Sciences Po Paris library, this study uncovers the everchanging use of terminology related to Maoist groups and Maoism in French newspapers. It identifies three phases of French Maoism: the prelude (1963-1969), climax (1969-1972), and epilogue (1972-1979). Initially, Maoism manifested as fringe political groups aligned with pro-Chinese organizations. However, as mainstream newspapers portrayed it, Maoism transformed into a dissident movement marked by acts of violence and destruction. Over time, the Maoists faced rejection from the French public and abandonment by the Chinese authorities, leading to a decline in their influence. While “Maoism” and “Mao Thought” are often used interchangeably today, this study argues that they carried distinct meanings for the French public during that era. French Maoism was seen as a disruptive dissent movement, whereas Mao Thought was celebrated for its perceived contribution to humanity. By unraveling the shifting dynamics of Maoism in the popular French imagination, this article aims to enrich our understanding of global Maoism, highlighting the continuity and discontinuity in the usage of Mao-related terms in 1960s and 1970s France. Additionally, it also emphasizes the value of digital humanities tools in visualizing the evolution of ideas in contemporary intellectual historical research.本研究聚焦于20世纪60至70年代席卷法国的“毛泽东热”现象。本研究考察了法国毛主义者对毛泽东思想（Mao Zedong Thought）的信奉情况，以及法国大众对毛泽东相关表述的认知态度。本研究依托巴黎政治学院（Sciences Po Paris）图书馆馆藏的“法国——毛主义者（France – Maoïstes）”档案集，对1963年至1979年的媒体报道开展定量与定性分析，揭示了法国报纸中与毛主义团体及毛主义（Maoism）相关术语的使用变迁轨迹。本研究将法国毛主义划分为三个阶段：前奏期（1963-1969年）、高潮期（1969-1972年）与尾声期（1972-1979年）。起初，毛主义表现为与亲华组织结盟的边缘政治团体；但随着主流媒体的报道塑造，毛主义逐渐演变为以暴力破坏活动为特征的异见运动。随着时间推移，毛主义者遭到法国民众的排斥与中国当局的抛弃，其影响力逐步式微。尽管如今“毛主义”与“毛泽东思想”常被互换使用，但本研究认为，在彼时的法国大众语境中，二者的内涵存在显著差异。法国毛主义被视作具有破坏性的异见运动，而毛泽东思想则因其被认为对人类社会的贡献而受到赞誉。本研究通过梳理法国大众认知中毛主义的动态变迁，旨在深化我们对全球毛主义的认知，并着重展现20世纪60至70年代法国境内与毛泽东相关术语使用的延续性与断裂性。此外，本研究还强调了数字人文（digital humanities）工具在当代思想史研究中，用于可视化思想演进历程的重要价值。