Communauté intellectuelle et stratégies institutionnelles

Abstract

Le 22 mai 1929, grace ä une dotation gouvernementale, le Centre international de synthese, qui existait déjà depuis 1925, c<l6brait son installation dans ce qui restait de l'Hötel de Nevers. L'histoire de cette demeure, oü se trouve le Salon de Madame de Lambert, qui l'avait revue en donation viagere du duc et de la duchesse de Nevers, est bier connue '. C'est vers 1710, en pleine guerre de Succession d'Espagne, qu'elle fit de ce Salon ce qui allait devenir le foyer de l'Encyelopbdie naissante, en evitant qu'il ne devint qu'un simple lieu de sociabilit6 intellectuelle. Fontenelle, un des plus assidus du Salon, et Marivaux, dans sa Vie de * Cet article est la transcription r6visce et flargie d'une conference que j'ai tenue au Salon de Madame de Lambert, le 27 janvier 1986. Les Archives du C.I.S. sont fermies au public, la Direction du Centre ayant entrepris leur classement. Je remercie MM. Jacques Roger, Ernest Coumet et Jean-Claude Perrot de m'avoir choisie pour collaborer avec M. Pierre Monzani, secrCtaire gCneral du Centre, At ce travail de classement, me donnant ainsi ua accts A ces riches archives. Ce travail est une oeuvre de longue haleine mais qui rendra possible la consultation d'une source importante pour l'histoire des institutions intellectuelles dans la France contemporaine. Je voudrais 8galement remercier Mik Suzanne Delorme et M. Pierre Monzani qui m'ont apporte leurs remarques et leur aide prEcieuse dans la redaction de cc texte; Wes Monique Emery et Agnes Biard pour lour gentillesse et Ia chaleureuse assistance qu'elles m'ont prodigu6e pendant mon sfjour au Centre. Je voudrais aussi exprimer ma profonde reconnaissance ä M. Maurice Aymard. Ses suggestions et ses remarques m'ont permis de repenser le texte et de lui dormer une forme definitive. 1. Sur l'histoire du Salon, cf. SAINTE-BEUVE, Causeries du lundi,

Popular Science and Politics in Interwar France

“…In 1925, thanks to national and private funds, Berr also created an International Center, the Centre international de synthèse (Gemelli 1987). 1 The Board of Trustees included members of the State, bankers, and famous scientists such as Albert Einstein and Ernest Rutherford.…”

“…In fact, many similar projects were created in various countries with similar organizations: State initiative, public and private funding, big editorial boards and extensive use of advertisement (Gemelli 1987;Schöttler 2005). 3 It would provide an opportunity for "un examen de conscience intellectuel" in the aftermath of the war.…”

“…Thus after the outbreak of patriotism and national hatred nurtured by World War One, in the 1930s encyclopaedias appeared as tools to reshape the national identities of "modern states" on an intellectual, pacific, basis. In fact, many similar projects were created in various countries with similar organizations: State initiative, public and private funding, big editorial boards and extensive use of advertisement (Gemelli 1987;Schöttler 2005). Encouraged by the success of nineteenth-century encyclopedias, the twentieth-century encyclopedias were planned as big enterprises: they required a strong publishing house, financial investments, industrial management with a clear division of labor and regular teams of editors, contributors, and traders.…”

“…The scientific community, in particular, which had been deeply weakened by the losses of World War One, was extremely concerned with the image of science in society and moved into the public arena in order to promote scientific culture. A number of famous physicists -such as Paul Langevin (1872-1946, Jean Perrin (1870-1942, Physics Nobel Prize in 1928, Louis de Broglie (1892-1987, Physics Nobel Prize in 1929, as well as the anthropologist Paul Rivet (1876-1958, and the historian Lucien Febvre (1878Febvre ( -1956, founder of the Annales -devoted part of their careers to the dissemination of science. For them, it was the scientists' duty to share their knowledge with other people.…”