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[Although the review does not delve in detail into Gide's economic
thought, I thought HES readers might be interested in how another list
reviews a book about an economist. -- RBE]
Marc Penin. Charles Gide 1847-1932. L'esprit critique. Paris: l'Harmattan,
1998. 347 p. Illustrations, bibliographical references, and indexes. 150
FF (cloth), ISBN 2-7384-6072-0.
Reviewed by Pierre-Yves Saunier, Center National de la Recherche
Scientifque. Published by H-Urban (September, 1998)
Inside the Reformers Galaxy
Why on earth am I reviewing Marc Penin's book for a list devoted to urban
history, and whose audience is mainly across the water from France? What
does this biography of Charles Gide have to do with the urban sphere? It
is definitely not because Charles Gide is the uncle of the writer Andre
Gide, winner of the Nobel Prize for literature in 1947. So why?
Is it because Charles Gide, who taught political economy in the Law
Faculties of Bordeaux, Montpellier and Paris, was the famous author of the
Principes d'economie politique, which were re-edited twenty-six times
while he was alive? Or because he was among the few French economists who
wished to introduce more mathematics in the field of economy, when the
view of economy as a branch of moral philosophy was overwhelmingly
dominant? Or because he was fighting against the liberal school,
especially in the columns of Revue d'economie politique he created in
1887? Is it because Charles Gide was a driving force in the cooperative
movement, in which he took part from 1885 onwards? Gide was indeed one of
the major figures of that movement from 1900, not as a leader or thinker,
but as an untiring proselytizer, writing hundreds of pieces to spread and
celebrate the ideal of co-ops. After 1900, Gide also gave much energy to
the Alliance Cooperative Internationale (International cooperative League)
Is it because, since the moment he arrived in Paris in 1898, he took part
in some of the major events of the intellectual sphere, such as the
movement for Universites Populaires born in the aftermath of the Affaire
Dreyfus (People Universities), the establishment of the School for
Advenced Social Studies (1900) or the Union pour la Verite (League for
Truth) that Paul Desjardins had created in 1892? Gide also was interested
in major reformer enterprises like the Alliance d'Hygiene Sociale (Social
Hygiene League, created in 1905), and was the reporter of the social
economy exhibition of the Paris World Fair of 1900. Is it because Charles
Gide was vice-president of the French garden city association that the
ubiquitous George Benoit-Levy created in 1904? Charles Gide did write some
pieces on the garden city, where he found a possible illustration of his
cooperative ideals, and a reflection of his fundamental belief in
association as THE means for mankind to act on its destiny. Is it because
Gide had strong links with the Social Christian movement, and turned his
protestant education to devote many other writings to the journals of the
movement? Is it because of his growing involvement and interest in
expertise, with his participation to several parliamentary or governmental
committees at the turn of the century, then with his post-World War I
interest for standardisation or management?
It is for all those reasons, though none of these would be enough for
H-Urban readers. It is because this biography of Charles Gide is a way to
dive into all the commitments and links of one of these men who were at
the crossroads of progressive movements in France at the turn of last
century. Some of these movements were important for urban reform, as the
Alliance d'Hygiene Sociale, but it is most important not to cut this urban
side from all the other activities of these reformers. I would like to
suggest that the study of this sphere of reformers is especially alive in
France now, especially from its urban side. Donatella Calabi recently gave
us a portrait of one reformer, the urban historian Marcel Poete[1] Susanna
Magri depicted the networks of the housing movement,[2] the last issue of
the journal Geneses (N. 28, Sept., 1997) contained many papers on
philanthropic societies of the nineteenth century, and Christian Topalov
should soon publish his Laboratoires du nouveau siecle that will gather
many papers on different societies and institutions.
However, Marc Penin's book is much more a book about Charles Gide than
about the reformers' sphere. Thus, when Penin alludes to the interest Gide
pays to the Musee Social, he does not even mention Janet Horne 's works or
other bibliographical pieces. This prevents him for bringing more
acuteness to his portrait of Gide. This book would surely have been
enhanced, if Gide were compared to the values and behaviours of some other
reformer figures. Nevertheless, the piece is still a necessary reading for
all those who want to dive into the networks or reform in France,
precisely because Gide was a member of so many of them.
Last but not least, some of the last words of Gide deserve our admiration.
Or at least mine. A few days before he died, Charles gide wrote to a
friend "The burial will take place in Nimes. There will be no reception,
no visitors book at rue Descamps in Paris. In Nimes as well, flowers,
speeches, delegations and messages are excluded. Of course, I can't
prevent from coming those people who think it is their duty to assist. But
I must say I won't be more or less grateful to those who won't be there. I
don't place any value on those external manifestations of friendship." No
flowers, no festschrift. Any academic who can write this sure does appeal
to me.
Notes:
[1]. Parigi anni venti. Marcel Poete e le origini della storia urbana,
Venezia, Marsilio, 1997.
[2]. Les laboratoires de la reforme de l'habitation populaire en France.
De la societe francaise des habitations a bon marche a la section
d'hygiene urbaine et rurale du Musse Social 1889-1909, Ministere de
l'Equipement, 1995.
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