Jean-Pierre Vernant
Encyclopedia
Jean-Pierre Vernant was a French
historian
and anthropologist
, specialist in ancient Greece
. Influenced by Claude Lévi-Strauss
, Vernant developed a structuralist
approach to Greek myth
, tragedy
, and society which would itself be influential among classical scholars. He was an honorary professor at the Collège de France
.
, France
, Vernant at first studied philosophy
, receiving his agrégation
in this field in 1937.
A member of the Young Communists (Jeunes Communistes), Vernant joined the French Resistance
during World War II
and was a member of Libération-sud
(founded by Emmanuel d'Astier
). He later commanded the French Interior Forces (FFI) in Haute-Garonne
under the pseudonym of "Colonel Berthier." He was a Companion of the Liberation
. After the war he remained a member of the French Communist Party
until 1969.
He entered the Centre national de la recherche scientifique
(CNRS) in 1948 and, under the influence of Louis Gernet
, turned to the study of ancient Greek anthropology. Ten years later he became director of studies at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales
(EHESS).
He was a member of the French sponsorship committee for the Decade for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World
. He supported the funding organisation Non-Violence XXI.
He was awarded the CNRS gold medal in 1984. In 2002 he received an honorary doctorate at the University of Crete
.
Vernant died a few days after his 93rd birthday in Sèvres
.
After his death, his name was given to a French highschool in Sèvre
, le "Lycee Jean-Pierre Vernant".
was an important influence on philosopher Bernard Stiegler's
book, Technics and Time, 1: The Fault of Epimetheus.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
historian
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and anthropologist
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, specialist in ancient Greece
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
. Influenced by Claude Lévi-Strauss
Claude Lévi-Strauss
Claude Lévi-Strauss was a French anthropologist and ethnologist, and has been called, along with James George Frazer, the "father of modern anthropology"....
, Vernant developed a structuralist
Structuralism
Structuralism originated in the structural linguistics of Ferdinand de Saussure and the subsequent Prague and Moscow schools of linguistics. Just as structural linguistics was facing serious challenges from the likes of Noam Chomsky and thus fading in importance in linguistics, structuralism...
approach to Greek myth
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, tragedy
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
, and society which would itself be influential among classical scholars. He was an honorary professor at the Collège de France
Collège de France
The Collège de France is a higher education and research establishment located in Paris, France, in the 5th arrondissement, or Latin Quarter, across the street from the historical campus of La Sorbonne at the intersection of Rue Saint-Jacques and Rue des Écoles...
.
Biography
Born in ProvinsProvins
Provins is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.Provins, a town of medieval fairs, became a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site in 2001.-Administration:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Vernant at first studied 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...
, receiving his agrégation
Agrégation
In France, the agrégation is a civil service competitive examination for some positions in the public education system. The laureates are known as agrégés...
in this field in 1937.
A member of the Young Communists (Jeunes Communistes), Vernant joined the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and was a member of Libération-sud
Libération-sud
The Libération-sud resistance group was established by a group of French people, including Emmanuel d'Astier, Lucie Aubrac and Raymond Aubrac. The first important Resistant group to emerge after the German occupation, it began publishing Libération in July 1941...
(founded by Emmanuel d'Astier
Emmanuel d'Astier
Emmanuel d'Astier de La Vigerie was a French journalist, politician and member of the French Resistance.-Biography:Born in Paris, he attended the Naval Academy, but resigned from the French Navy in 1923...
). He later commanded the French Interior Forces (FFI) in Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne is a department in the southwest of France named after the Garonne river. Its main city is Toulouse.-History:Haute-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Languedoc.The...
under the pseudonym of "Colonel Berthier." He was a Companion of the Liberation
Ordre de la Libération
The Ordre de la Libération is a French Order awarded to heroes of the Liberation of France during World War II. It is an exceptional honor, the second highest after the Légion d’Honneur and only a small number of people and military units have received it, exclusively for deeds accomplished...
. After the war he remained a member of the French Communist Party
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
until 1969.
He entered the Centre national de la recherche scientifique
Centre national de la recherche scientifique
The National Center of Scientific Research is the largest governmental research organization in France and the largest fundamental science agency in Europe....
(CNRS) in 1948 and, under the influence of Louis Gernet
Louis Gernet
Louis Gernet, 1882–1962, was a French philologist and sociologist.- Life :A student at the École Normale Supérieure , he received a licentiate in law and agrégation in grammar...
, turned to the study of ancient Greek anthropology. Ten years later he became director of studies 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).
He was a member of the French sponsorship committee for the Decade for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World
Decade for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the first decade of the 21st century and the third millennium, the years 2001 to 2010, as the International Decade for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World...
. He supported the funding organisation Non-Violence XXI.
He was awarded the CNRS gold medal in 1984. In 2002 he received an honorary doctorate at the University of Crete
University of Crete
The University of Crete ' is the principal higher education institution on the island of Crete, Greece.The University of Crete, is a multi-disciplinary, research- oriented institution, located in the cities of Rethymno and Heraklion...
.
Vernant died a few days after his 93rd birthday in Sèvres
Sèvres
Sèvres is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.The town is known for its porcelain manufacture, the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, making the famous Sèvres porcelain, as well as being the location of the International Bureau of Weights...
.
After his death, his name was given to a French highschool in Sèvre
Sèvre
Sèvre is the name of two rivers in France. Their name are both related to the important city they each flow through.* Sèvre Nantaise, Nantes* Sèvre Niortaise, Niort...
, le "Lycee Jean-Pierre Vernant".
Influence
The structuralist approach pioneered by Vernant has been influential on a wide range of classical scholars. More specifically, Vernant's reading of the myth of PrometheusPrometheus
In Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan, the son of Iapetus and Themis, and brother to Atlas, Epimetheus and Menoetius. He was a champion of mankind, known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals...
was an important influence on philosopher Bernard Stiegler's
Bernard Stiegler
Bernard Stiegler is a French philosopher at Goldsmiths, University of London and at the Université de Technologie de Compiègne. In addition, he is Director of the , founder in 2005 of the political and cultural group, , and founder in 2010 of the philosophy school,...
book, Technics and Time, 1: The Fault of Epimetheus.
Awards and prizes
- Médaille d'or du CNRS, 1984
- Premio di Storia, San Marino, 1991
- American Academy Award for Humanistic Studies, 1992
- Commandeur de la Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
- Compagnon de la Libération
- Croix de GuerreCroix de guerreThe Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
- Grand Officier dans l'Ordre national du MériteOrdre National du MériteThe Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
- Commandeur de l'Ordre de l'Honneur de la République Hellénique
- Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Doctor Honoris Causa
- University of ChicagoUniversity of ChicagoThe University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
- University of BristolUniversity of BristolThe University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
- Masaryk UniversityMasaryk UniversityMasaryk University is the second largest university in the Czech Republic, a member of the Compostela Group and the Utrecht Network. Founded in 1919 in Brno as the third Czech university , it now consists of nine faculties and 42,182 students...
of BrnoBrnoBrno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District... - University of Naples
- University of OxfordUniversity of OxfordThe University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
- University of CreteUniversity of CreteThe University of Crete ' is the principal higher education institution on the island of Crete, Greece.The University of Crete, is a multi-disciplinary, research- oriented institution, located in the cities of Rethymno and Heraklion...
(2002) - New Bulgarian UniversityNew Bulgarian UniversityNew Bulgarian University is a private university based in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. NBU is the first private university in Bulgaria, and among the top rated by Bulgarian businesses universities in the country...
(2004)
Other awards
- Associate member of the Académie royale de Belgique
- Foreign honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesAmerican Academy of Arts and SciencesThe American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
- Corresponding Fellow of the British AcademyBritish AcademyThe British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
- Honorary Member of the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic StudiesJournal of Hellenic StudiesThe Journal of Hellenic Studies is a peer-reviewed academic journal which contains articles that pertain to Hellenic studies, i.e. the language, literature, history, and archaeology of the ancient Greek world, and reviews of recent books of importance to Hellenic studies. It is published annually...
- Membre de l'Academia EuropaeaAcademia EuropaeaAcademia Europæa is a European non-governmental scientific academy founded in 1988. Its members are scientists and scholars who collectively aim to promote learning, education and research. It publishes European Review through Cambridge Journals....
Select publications
- Les origines de la pensée grecque (Paris), 1962 (= Origins of Greek Thought, 1982)
- Mythe et pensée chez les Grecs: Etudes de psychologie historique (Paris), 1965 (= Myth and Thought among the Greeks, 1983)
- With Pierre Vidal-NaquetPierre Vidal-NaquetPierre Emmanuel Vidal-Naquet was a French historian who began teaching at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales in 1969....
: Mythe et tragédie en Grèce ancienne, 2 vols. (Paris), 1972, 1986 (= Tragedy and Myth in Ancient Greece, 1981; Myth and Tragedy in Ancient Greece, 1988) - Mythe et société en Grèce ancienne (Paris), 1974 (= Myth and Society in Ancient Greece, 1978)
- Divination et rationalité, 1974
- With Marcel DetienneMarcel DetienneMarcel Detienne is a Belgian historian and specialist in the study of ancient Greece. He is Professor Emeritus at The Johns Hopkins University, where he held the Basil L...
: Les ruses de l'intelligence: La mètis des Grecs (Paris), 1974 (= Cunning Intelligence in Greek Culture and Society, 1977) - Religion grecque, religions antiques (Paris), 1976
- Religion, histoires, raisons (Paris), 1979
- With Marcel Detienne: La cuisine de sacrifice en pays grec (Paris), 1979 (= Cuisine of Sacrifice among the Greeks, 1989)
- With Pierre Vidal-Naquet: Travail et esclavage en Grèce ancienne (Brussels), 1988
- L'individu, la mort, l'amour: soi-même et l'autre en Grèce ancienne (Paris), 1989
- Mythe et religion en Grèce ancienne (Paris), 1990
- Figures, idoles, masques (Paris), 1990
- With Pierre Vidal-Naquet: La Grèce ancienne, 3 vols. (Paris), 1990–92
- Mortals and Immortals: Collected Essays (Princeton), 1991
- With Pierre Vidal-Naquet: Œdipe et ses mythes (Brussels), 1994
- Entre mythe et politique (Paris), 1996
- With Jean BottéroJean BottéroJean Bottéro was a French historian. He was a major Assyriologist and a renowned expert on the Ancient Near East...
and Clarisse Herrenschmidt: L'orient ancien et nous (Paris), 1996 (= Ancestor of the West: Writing, Reasoning, and Religion in Mesopotamia, Elam, and Greece, 2000) - With Françoise Frontisi-Ducroux: Dans l'œil du miroir (Paris), 1997
- L'univers, les dieux, les hommes: récits grecs des origines Paris, Le Seuil, 1999 (= The Universe, The Gods, and Men: Ancient Greek Myths, 2001)
- La traversée des frontières (Paris), 2004