How are the pleasures and thrills of the automobile linked to France¿s history of conquest, colonialism, and exploitation in Southeast Asia? Cultural and Literary Representations of the Automobile in French Indochina addresses the contradictions of the ¿progress¿ of French colonialism and their consequences through the lens of the automobile. Stéphanie Ponsavady examines the development of transportation systems in French Indochina at the turn of the twentieth century, analyzing archival material and French and Vietnamese literature to critically assess French colonialism.

Stéphanie Ponsavady is Assistant Professor of French Studies in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures at Wesleyan University, USA.

1.  Chapter 1. Introduction: Minding the Gaps of Colonial Automobility.- 2. Chapter 2. Paving the Way: Road and Empire builders.- 3. Chapter 3. Unfolding the Road: Automobile Pioneers.- 4. Chapter 4. Sharing the Road: Road Users.- 5.  Chapter 5. Writing the Road: Journalistic and Literary Passages and Passengers.- 6.  Chapter 6. Overtaking the Road: Careless Pedestrians.- 7.  Chapter 7. Conclusion: Driving Metaphors and Myths.