Founded by Jesuits in 1856, Études is a general journal of contemporary culture. A 144-page monthly publication (eleven issues per year), it features articles from the following fields: international issues, society (politics, ethics, ecology, science, and technology), philosophical essays, religion, art, and literature. Each issue also includes film, theater, and exhibition reviews, as well as an extensive number of book reviews (approximately fifty per issue). It has a circulation of over 12,000 copies in France and abroad.
The issues are not thematic, but instead are presented in special reports (“dossiers”) accessible online at www.revue-etudes.com, that compile articles from the same field. In addition, each year a “special issue” features past articles on a particular topic (Europe, China, Justice and prisons, Vatican II). At a time when information accumulates at an increasingly rapid pace, Études offers a space to take a step back in time in order to gain a deeper understanding of particular issues.
Based on traditional Jesuit thought, the journal aims to promote reflection on contemporary world issues from a humanist perspective. Written by experts in the issues concerned, the style and pedagogy of the articles are accessible to a wide public audience.