Georges Vigarello
Encyclopedia
Georges Vigarello is a French historian
and sociologist. He is a Research Director at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales
(EHESS) of Paris
. His main research interests include the sociology of the body
, the history of hygiene
, representations of the body over the centuries, and the social dimensions of sport
.
, Georges Vigarello initially obtained a teaching diploma (CAPES) in Sport and Physical Education, and subsequently gained an advanced teaching degree (agrégation) in philosophy
.
He briefly taught at the Paris Vincennes University, then the stronghold of post-structuralism
. The influence of prominent philosopher Michel Foucault
is particularly visible in his first book Le corps redressé (1978). Vigarello soon developed a personal, more historically rigurous approach to the sociology of the body.
Before entering the EHESS
, he held the position of Professor of Educational Studies at the Paris-Sorbonne University. He has served as a junior member of the Institut Universitaire de France (a French national agency for advanced academic research), and currently chairs the Scientific Committee of the French National Library
.
The paperback edition of his books (as well as the many translations) made him known to a wider French and international audience.
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and sociologist. He is a Research Director at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
The École des hautes études en sciences sociales is a leading French institution for research and higher education, a Grand Établissement. Its mission is research and research training in the social sciences, including the relationship these latter maintain with the natural and life sciences...
(EHESS) of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. His main research interests include the sociology of the body
Sociology of the body
Sociology of the body is a branch of sociology studying the representations and social uses of the human body in modern societies.-Early theories:...
, the history of hygiene
Hygiene
Hygiene refers to the set of practices perceived by a community to be associated with the preservation of health and healthy living. While in modern medical sciences there is a set of standards of hygiene recommended for different situations, what is considered hygienic or not can vary between...
, representations of the body over the centuries, and the social dimensions of sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
.
Background
Born in MonacoMonaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
, Georges Vigarello initially obtained a teaching diploma (CAPES) in Sport and Physical Education, and subsequently gained an advanced teaching degree (agrégation) in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
.
He briefly taught at the Paris Vincennes University, then the stronghold of post-structuralism
Post-structuralism
Post-structuralism is a label formulated by American academics to denote the heterogeneous works of a series of French intellectuals who came to international prominence in the 1960s and '70s...
. The influence of prominent philosopher Michel Foucault
Michel Foucault
Michel Foucault , born Paul-Michel Foucault , was a French philosopher, social theorist and historian of ideas...
is particularly visible in his first book Le corps redressé (1978). Vigarello soon developed a personal, more historically rigurous approach to the sociology of the body.
Before entering the EHESS
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
The École des hautes études en sciences sociales is a leading French institution for research and higher education, a Grand Établissement. Its mission is research and research training in the social sciences, including the relationship these latter maintain with the natural and life sciences...
, he held the position of Professor of Educational Studies at the Paris-Sorbonne University. He has served as a junior member of the Institut Universitaire de France (a French national agency for advanced academic research), and currently chairs the Scientific Committee of the French National Library
Bibliothèque nationale de France
The is the National Library of France, located in Paris. It is intended to be the repository of all that is published in France. The current president of the library is Bruno Racine.-History:...
.
The paperback edition of his books (as well as the many translations) made him known to a wider French and international audience.
List of major publications
- Sarkozy, Corps et âme d’un président (SarkozyNicolas SarkozyNicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
: Body and Soul of a President), (with Olivier Mongin) Perrin, 2008 - Concepts of Cleanliness: Changing Attitudes in France since the Middle Ages, Cambridge University Press, 2008
- Histoire de la beauté, le corps et l’art d’embellir de la renaissance à nos jours (A History of Beauty: The Body and the Art of Embellishment from the Renaissance to Nowadays), Seuil, 2004
- Histoire du corps (History of the Body), three volumes, (with Alain Corbin and Jean-Jacques Courtine) (eds) Seuil, 2006
- A History of Rape: Sexual Violence in France from the 16th to the 20th Century, Polity, 2001
- Le corps redressé, Armand Colin, 2001 (first edition: Le corps redressé, Histoire D'un Pouvoir Pedagogique, Delarge, 1978)
- Passion sport, Histoire d’une culture, Textuel, 2000