This paper traces France’s role in the Antarctic from 1840, when explorer Jules Dumont d’Urville discovered the slice of the white continent he named Terre Adélie, to the present day. Since World War II, Terre Adélie has been the site of a host of performances of sovereignty: the French have built bases, drawn maps, conducted scientific investigations and erected plaques. But France’s commitment to Terre Adélie has been tested and has fallen into crisis several times. The history of France in Antarctica is a tale of ambition, ambivalence, trade-offs and political strategy. This paper aims to elucidate this story, focusing on the concept of sovereignty and the nexus of scientific and political interests. I argue that France’s relationship with the Antarctic has been characterised by continual tension, by peaks and troughs and by brinkmanship on the part of actors with their own stakes. While there is broad agreement that Terre Adélie serves a fundamental national interest, I show that France’s ambitions on the white continent are far from decided. With its focus on France, which has largely been left out of the growing body of literature on the Antarctic, this paper contributes to building a robust historical understanding of Antarctic claims.

中文翻译：

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未定的梦想：1840-2021 年在南极的法国

本文追溯法国从 1840 年在南极的作用，当时探险家 Jules Dumont d'Urville 发现了他命名为 Terre Adélie 的这片白色大陆，直到今天。自二战以来，Terre Adélie 一直是许多主权表演的场所：法国人建造基地、绘制地图、进行科学研究并竖立牌匾。但法国对Terre Adélie 的承诺经受了考验，并多次陷入危机。法国在南极洲的历史是一个充满野心、矛盾心理、权衡取舍和政治战略的故事。本文旨在阐明这个故事，重点关注主权概念以及科学和政治利益的关系。我认为法国与南极的关系一直以持续紧张为特征，高峰和低谷，以及有自己利益的演员的边缘政策。虽然人们普遍认为阿德利地符合基本的国家利益，但我表明法国在白色大陆上的野心还远未确定。本文重点关注法国，而法国在很大程度上被排除在越来越多的南极文献之外，因此有助于建立对南极主张的强有力的历史理解。