What if looking beyond our own borders is not just a way tounderstand others, but to understand ourselves, making visible the political assumptions we’ve learned to take for granted?

I’m Dr. Amine Zidouh, I specialize in French and Francophone Studies, Political Science and Discourse Analysis, and this is French Politics.

This show is for American and English-speaking audiences who want to understand French politics and unpack the ideas, assumptions, and power relations behind it. Looking at another country can also help us see what we take for granted in our own.

We start with the political parties: what they stand for, wherethey come from, and whose interests they serve. But politics extends beyond parties and elections. We’ll also explore political concepts, cultural debates, and contemporary issues in French society.

Everyone is open to critique here. That’s not a claim to neutrality. It’s a commitment to sincere, consistent criticism: making my perspectives clear, questioning my own assumptions, and applying the same critical standards to every political force. That doesn’t mean reaching the same judgment about everyone. It means giving no one an exemption.

The goal is not to tell you whom to support, but to give you the context and tools to think critically about French politics, and perhaps see your own political world differently.

Follow French Politics with Dr. Amine Zidouh wherever youget your podcasts.