Introduction

Since the 1980s, Herrick Chapman has played a pivotal role as scholar, editor, and mentor in shaping the practice of French history. His books and articles are crucial for understanding France's trajectory from the 1930s to the present; his twenty-year-long stint as editor of French Politics, Culture & Society turned the journal into a major force in French Studies; and his mentorship of more than two dozen doctoral students has helped set the agenda for at least two generations of French historians.