Manon
LEFEBVRE
-
Bâtiment Matisse
Bureau 225
The thesis of my research is that, since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the FBI has made a "course correction" to adapt its operations to the new threats of the 21st century, but that this remains partial due to the blind spot that far-right terrorism constitutes for this agency. My aim is to demonstrate how, by dramatizing the FBI's structural reforms, popular TV series help to spread its ideological message to the general public, which had to be won back after they perceived the 9/11 attacks as a failure primarily attributable to the agency. This thesis, now in the process of being published, and the methods employed have led to four main contributions to ongoing academic debates:
The field of intelligence studies tends to focus on foreign intelligence, which my work fills by providing an analysis of domestic intelligence. This traditional treatment of the FBI as a peripheral player in the American intelligence community reproduces the actual treatment of this agency by its foreign intelligence counterparts, which is responsible for some of the flaws identified by the 9/11 Commission.
The interdisciplinary approach at the heart of my research: I combine the two branches of civilization (political history and cultural studies), as well as linguistics, to produce a work that synthesizes a variety of sources (archives, political speeches, audiovisual productions). I bring these sources into dialogue using a methodological framework combining political science, discourse analysis, narratology and aesthetics.
The study of militainment, still little studied in France, and all the more so when it does not directly concern relations between Hollywood and the Department of Defense, for the reasons given above. Yet it seems to me essential, when studying ideological messages, to confront the reality of institutions with their fictional representations, and vice versa. I'm therefore studying the role of TV series in promoting the FBI to the general public, as well as in dealing with collective trauma after the attacks.
The beginning of a work on the reception of these series and their ideological messages: as the development of any ideological message depends on the individuals who receive it, it would be necessary to systematize certain approaches that I suggested in my thesis, which was not the initial aim. Interviews with viewers, as well as the systematic consultation of fan sites and social networks, would provide a more meaningful view of the impact that TV series actually have on their audiences.
Diplômes universitaires
- 2022 :
PhD in American civilization
- 2016 :
Competitive exam in English with a specialization in linguistics
- 2015 :
Master’s degree in English teaching
Expériences professionnelles
- Since September 2023 :
Associate professor in American civilization
- 2021-2023 :
Temporary teacher
- 2017-2021 :
Temporary research and teaching assistant
- 2014-2017 :
Middle school teacher
Valorisations academiques
- Since 2018 :
Member of the French association for American studies (AFEA)
- Since 2024 :
Member of the association for the teaching and research on anglophone cinema (SERCIA)
- Since 2024 :
Member of the association for English scholars (SAES)
Belonging to learned societies
Organization of conferences, exhibitions ...
- 6-7 novembre 2025 :
Colloque international « Le pouvoir de nommer dans les cultures et littératures des pays anglophones », Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3.
- 15-17 mai 2024 :
Colloque international « Black Lives Matter : formes politiques et artistiques de l'antiracisme aux États-Unis et au Royaume-Uni », Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3.
- 28 mars 2024 :
Journée d'étude « Identités conflictuelles : discours politiques et représentations dans les aires culturelles anglophone et hispanique », Université polytechnique des Hauts-de-France.
- 26 mars 2021 :
Journée d'étude « L’onde de choc du 11-septembre : institutions et représentations », Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3.
Current teaching
American civilization for students preparing teaching competitive exams
Previous teaching
English linguistics for undergrad students
Current teaching
American civilization (undergraduate students)
Previous teaching
Translation (English to French, French to English) for undergrad students
Current teaching
American civilization (undergrad law students)
Previous teaching
American civilization for undergrad students
Current teaching
International relations and cultures (grad students)
« No More Good Days : Voir, re-voir, pré-voir l’apocalypse dans Flashforward (ABC, 2009) », in Machinal, Hélène, Monica Michlin et Arnaud Regnauld, éd., Formes apocalyptiques du pouvoir et programmes apocalyptiques, ebook, 22 novembre 2021. https://emma.www.univ-montp3.fr/fr/file/37206/download?token=nV8RfCvW
« From Ground Zero to Hero : renégocier l’image des agents du FBI dans les séries télévisées post-11 septembre », in Lefebvre, Manon, Monica Michlin et Nicolas Gachon, éd., « L’impact du 11-septembre : réformes et représentations », Représentations dans le monde anglophone, avril 2022. https://publications-prairial.fr/representations/index.php?id=615