Louis Chevalier
Encyclopedia
Louis Chevalier was an eminent French
historian with interests in geography
, demography
and sociology
. Much of his work was devoted to the history of French culture and Paris
.
in the coastal department of Vendée
in western France
. He was educated mainly in Paris and attended the lycée Henri IV
, where he was a pupil of the famous teacher of philosophy known as Alain
. Chevalier entered the Ecole Normale Supérieure
(ENS) in 1932, where a fellow student and close friend was the future president Georges Pompidou
. He passed his agrégation
in 1938 and entered an academic career. During World War II, he served as a tutor at the ENS and taught his history first course at the Ecole libre des sciences politiques in Paris. In 1946 the latter school became the elite Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris
(more frequently known as "Sciences Po") and Chevalier was appointed to a professorship. Six years later he was elected to a chair in Parisian history at the Collège de France
.
Among his students at Sciences Po was the future French prime minister Edouard Balladur
.
Chevalier was awarded France's highest honor, the Legion d'honneur
, in 1958; his initial decoration as a knight was upgraded to officier in 1967, and ultimately commandeur in 1977. In 1987, he was awarded the Grand Prix of the Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
historian with interests in geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, demography
Demography
Demography is the statistical study of human population. It can be a very general science that can be applied to any kind of dynamic human population, that is, one that changes over time or space...
and sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
. Much of his work was devoted to the history of French culture and 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...
.
Early life and education
Louis Chevalier was born in L'Aiguillon-sur-MerL'Aiguillon-sur-Mer
L'Aiguillon-sur-Mer is a commune in the Vendée department in western France.-Geography:The river Lay forms all of the commune's northwestern border, then flows into the Atlantic Ocean, which forms all of its western border.-References:*...
in the coastal department of Vendée
Vendée
The Vendée is a department in the Pays-de-la-Loire region in west central France, on the Atlantic Ocean. The name Vendée is taken from the Vendée river which runs through the south-eastern part of the department.-History:...
in western 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...
. He was educated mainly in Paris and attended the lycée Henri IV
Lycée Henri IV
The Lycée Henri-IV is a public secondary school located in Paris. Along with Louis-le-Grand it is widely regarded as one of the most demanding sixth-form colleges in France....
, where he was a pupil of the famous teacher of philosophy known as Alain
Émile Chartier
Émile-Auguste Chartier, commonly known as Alain was a French philosopher, journalist, and pacifist.Alain entered lycée d'Alençon in 1881 and studied there for five years...
. Chevalier entered the Ecole Normale Supérieure
École Normale Supérieure
The École normale supérieure is one of the most prestigious French grandes écoles...
(ENS) in 1932, where a fellow student and close friend was the future president Georges Pompidou
Georges Pompidou
Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou was a French politician. He was Prime Minister of France from 1962 to 1968, holding the longest tenure in this position, and later President of the French Republic from 1969 until his death in 1974.-Biography:...
. He passed 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 1938 and entered an academic career. During World War II, he served as a tutor at the ENS and taught his history first course at the Ecole libre des sciences politiques in Paris. In 1946 the latter school became the elite Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris
Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris
The Institut d'études politiques de Paris , simply referred to as Sciences Po , is a public research and higher education institution in Paris, France, specialised in the social sciences. It has the status of grand établissement, which allows its admissions process to be highly selective...
(more frequently known as "Sciences Po") and Chevalier was appointed to a professorship. Six years later he was elected to a chair in Parisian history 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...
.
Among his students at Sciences Po was the future French prime minister Edouard Balladur
Édouard Balladur
Édouard Balladur is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 29 March 1993 to 10 May 1995.-Biography:Balladur was born in İzmir, Turkey, to an Armenian Catholic family with five children and long-standing ties to France...
.
Career
Chevalier's most important works are Classes Laborieuses et Classes Dangereuses à Paris au XIX Siècle, published in 1958, a survey of the Parisian working class that challenged many assumptions of political historians about their work regimes and political activities and L'Assassinat de Paris published in 1977.Chevalier was awarded France's highest honor, the Legion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The 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...
, in 1958; his initial decoration as a knight was upgraded to officier in 1967, and ultimately commandeur in 1977. In 1987, he was awarded the Grand Prix of the Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques.
Works
- Le problème démographique nord-africain, PUF, 1947
- La Formation de la population parisienne au XIXè siècle, PUF, collection Travaux et documents / Institut national d'études démographique, 1949, 312 p.
- Démographie générale, éd. Dalloz, 1951, 599 p.
- Leçon inaugurale faite le 28 avril 1952, Collège de FranceCollège de FranceThe 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...
, Chaire d'histoire et structure sociales de Paris et de la région parisienne, Paris, Collège de France, 1952, 38 p. - Madagascar, population et ressources, préface par Alfred SauvyAlfred SauvyAlfred Sauvy was a demographer, anthropologist and historian of the French economy. Sauvy coined the term Third World in reference to countries that were unaligned with either the Communist Soviet bloc or the Capitalist NATO bloc during the Cold War...
, PUF, collection Institut national d'études démographiques, Travaux et documents, 1952, 212 p., cartes. - Classes laborieuses et classes dangereuses, Plon, collection Civilisations d'hier et d'aujourd'hui, 1958, XXVIII-566 p. Rééd. Paris, Le Livre de poche, collection Pluriel, 1978 (translated in English as Laboring Classes and Dangerous Classes: In Paris During the First Half of the Nineteenth Century, Howard Fertig, 2000)
- Les Parisiens, Hachette, 1967, 395 p. Rééd. Paris, Hachette, Collection Pluriel, 1985
- Histoire anachronique des Français, Plon, 1974 (Grand Prix Gobert de l'Académie françaiseAcadémie françaiseL'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
), XII-346 p. - L'Assassinat de Paris, Calmann-Lévy, Collection Archives des sciences sociales, 1977, 285 p. Rééd. éditions Ivrea, 1997, présentation par Claude Dubois (translated in English as The Assassination of Paris, University Of Chicago Press, 1994)
- Montmartre du plaisir et du crime, collection Les Hommes et l'histoire, Robert Laffont, 1980, 452 p.-[20] p. de pl.,
- Histoire de la nuit parisienne : 1940-1960, Fayard, 1982
- Les Relais de mer. Un village de la côte vendéenne de la veille de la guerre de 14 aux lendemains de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale, Fayard, 1983
- Les Ruines de Subure : Montmartre, de 1939 aux années 80, Paris, R. Laffont, 1985, 370 p.-[16] p. de pl.,
- Juanito : Andalousie de boue et de sang, Paris, Stock, collection, Un Livre, une vie, 1990, 434 p.
- Splendeurs et misères du fait divers, Paris, Perrin, Collection Pour l’Histoire, 2003, 156 pages
External links
- Obituary: Louis Chevalier, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, Friday 14 September 2001