Posted by Jean Matthews

I wanted to share my thoughts after listening to Radio 4's correspondent in Paris, Hugh Schofield, fascinating talk, " The Walls of Paris".

Hugh suggested how a city could be understood by looking at the signposts, plaques and inscriptions that adorn its walls along side its advertising murals. There were, of course the many commemorative plaques and inscriptions that recalled the German occupation and remembered the the war dead, but Hugh also made reference to the 800 'cultural' signposts that he believed portrayed very little except for 'intellectual snobbery' and of the rather amusing but 'fake' plaques that commemorated people that 'didn't exist'. 

It is the latter two that set me thinking about Foucault's critique of history and how the micro-events of society are left unrecorded - invalidated as knowledge whereas the 'great' events are recorded and reproduced through such things as text - the plaques and incriptions of Paris that affiliate a city with a particular reality. 

Unlike Hugh, I felt that the 'fake' plaques in particular were a particularly poignant example of the micro-events and I expect none other than the French to perceive the value in what appears to others as 'intellectual snobbery' or surrealism. Hugh had suggested that these 'signs' were somewhat surreal in referring to people who had not done anything spectacular, but had perhaps worked as a civil servant. 

I am not sure if the people celebrated within the plaques existed or not but the exercise serves to emancipate the voices at the micro-level of the city, the micro-events that are easily forgotten but frequently underpin the major events.

I think I'll pop out to see what Cardiff is celebrating....I can guess the rugby may be featured strongly...........

If you would like to hear the broadcast, it makes up the last 5 minutes on  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00j0q55   

have a nice day .....