Scott Gunther is a Professor of French and Francophone Studies in the Department of French, Francophone, and Italian Studies at Wellesley College. His educational background includes: B.A. from Cornell University J.D. from New York University D.E.A. from École Normale Supérieure Paris Ph.D. from New York University Professor Gunther specializes in contemporary French society and culture with interdisciplinary research spanning: Gender and sexuality politics in France Mass media regulation and cultural production France's evolving role in the European Union Franco-American legal and cultural comparisons Sociology of French bourgeois cultural consumption Gender-inclusive language reforms in French Comparative legal frameworks between France and the US His work critically examines tensions between French republican values and social change, particularly regarding LGBTQ+ rights and linguistic evolution. His scholarly output includes analyses of sexuality regulation, queer political movements, bourgeois cultural tastes, and gender-neutral language possibilities in French, culminating in his book The Elastic Closet: A History of Homosexuality in France, 1942-Present which frames LGBTQ+ history through France's unique republican lens. Teaching integrates methodologies from sociology, legal studies, anthropology, history, and cultural theory to explore modern French identity formation across institutional and everyday contexts.











