Symposium Article Domestic and international politics – Forever intertwined: Learning from Hoffmann and France Peter A. Gourevitch School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0519, USA. Abstract Stanley Hoffmann sees the world as multi-dimensional and complex, be it in writing about France or international relations. This article explores five ways Hoffmann’s writing influenced me, and many others: cutting across strict boundaries of disciplines and categories within them; the importance of political philosophy and ideas; the role of the state; the elements of ethics, law and morality in international relations; and, not least, an appreciation of France. The article pays tribute to Stanley Hoffmann as a scholar, a teacher and an enduring role model. French Politics (2009) 7, 379–390. doi:10.1057/fp.2009.27 Keywords: state; philosophy; politics; international relations; institutions; society Introduction Stanley Hoffmann’s contributions to understanding the world are many and varied. No hedgehog he. Hoffmann sees complexity, and articulates it in various ways. Hoffmann organized his influential course on French politics in five acts, the schema of classical French drama. So I note five impacts he had on me: (1) cutting across strict boundaries of disciplines and categories within them; (2) the importance of political philosophy and ideas; (3) the role of the state; (4) the elements of ethics, law and morality in international relations; and (5) not least, an appreciation for France. Crossing Boundaries When I arrived at Harvard in 1963, the sharp divisions among the social science disciplines were cutting ever deeper. Economics, sociology, political science, psychology, philosophy, history were hell-bent on defining themselves r 2009 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 1476-3419 French Politics Vol. 7, 3/4, 379–390 www.palgrave-journals.com/fp/