The main point of this book is to argue that French universities experienced a quiet but important change during the last decade, which allowed them to become pertinent and more autonomous actors within the French university system.

Part 1 The "Faculty Republic"; Chapter 1 From Napoleon's Imperial University to the "Faculty Republic"; Chapter 2 The "Faculty Republic"; Chapter 3 Universities Steered by the Disciplines; Part 2 French Universities Come into Their Own; Chapter 4 The Centralized, Standardizing, Egalitarian Model Destabilized; Chapter 5 And the Ministry Recognized the Universities ...; Chapter 6 French Universities Emerge; Part 3 From One University Configuration to Another; Chapter 7 From Universities to University Configurations; Chapter 8 University Configurations and Change;