Harvey: Paris (2006)

David Harvey (2006), Paris: Capital of Modernity.

I found this book, even though many have praised it, rather difficult to judge. It contains a lot of interesting interpretations on Second Empire Paris. But then, in some places the conclusions Harvey draws seem rather crude and far-fetched. It is a difficulty of the book that it tries to combine good old marxist economic analysis (which is remarkable) with newer forms of cultural history that are intended to support and explain the asserted economic forces. This is probably the point where I got lost, it is just not convincing if you don’t share Harvey’s marxist approach beforehand.