Parcours et stratégies d'un ''lettré'' au tournant du siècle : Gustave Le Bon (1841-1931)

The paths and strategies of a french ''lettre'' at the turn of the century : gustave le bon (1841-1931)

• Auteur / Autrice : Benoît Marpeau
• Direction : Étienne Fouilloux
• Type : Thèse de doctorat
• Discipline(s) : Histoire
• Date : Soutenance en 1997
• Etablissement(s) : Lyon 2

Mots clés

Mots clés contrôlés

Le Bon, Gustave (1841-1931)

Foules

Psychologie sociale

19e siècle

Sciences sociales et histoire

France -- 20e siècle

Édition scientifique

Mots clés libres

Le bon gustave (1841-1931)

Résumé

La comprehension historique du parcours de gustave le bon a ete verrouillee par sa double reduction a une oeuvre (psychologie des foules, 1895) et a un role d'ideologue ''prefascite'' negateur des lumieres. Y acceder necessite de prendre en compte, outre les dimensions ideologiques, celles relevant des cultures sensibles ainsi que le jeu relationnel complexe structurant ses activites dans les mondes de l'edition et des revues. Dans une premiere phase s'achevant vers 1894, cette activite relationnelle dans le milieu medical puis dans celui des publications scientifiques lui permet d'echapper a la decheance sociale et a l'anonymat. Au cours de cette periode, il elabore un modele scientiste d'explication du monde empruntant beaucoup a l'embryologie. A partir de 1894, l'elargissement de son audience repose sur trois piliers: 1) une vision du jeu social en coherence avec des representations et des sensibilites pregnantes du tournant du siecle. La figure de l'homme en foule est menace et repoussoir face a la rationalite individuelle. Celle-ci est reaffirmee fondamentale, conformement a la tradition liberale. 2) l'institutionnalisation d'un systeme de reunions regulieres mis au service de ss activites. 3) la direction de la bibliotheque de philosophie scientifique, collection fondee chez flammarion en 1902. L'etude de l'insertion de ses theses dans trois champs sociaux distincts permet d'en confirmer l'interpretation et d'en preciser la portee. La restriction de l'espace de legitimite de son discours dans le champ universitaire est progressive est liee a sa strategie individualiste et a la rigidite de sa lecture du monde plus qu'a des oppositions ideologiques. Son audience dans la haute hierarchie militaire avant 1914 et aupres d'hommes d'affaires influents des annees 1900-1930 fut reelle; la lecture dominante s'attacha ici a ses theories educatives, non a un introuvable projet de manipulation des foules par les elites qu'il ne pouvait veritablement concevoir.

The historical comprehension of le bon's path was made impossible by the fact that his role was reduced to the writing of a single book (the crowd,1895) and to that of a ''pre-fascist'' ideologist who rejected the enlightenment. In order to have access to this historical comprehension, one must take into account, not only the ideological aspects, but also those concerning social sensibility as well as the complex interplay of relationships which structured his activities in the publishing world. In a preliminary period ending around 1894, his social activity in the medical profession at first, then in the field of scientific publications enabled him to escape social destitution and anonymity. During that time, he built up a scientistic explanation of the world, mostly derived from embryology. From 1894, his growing success was due to three factors. 1) his vision of social relations corresponded to the perceptions prevailing at the turn of the century; the image of man in the crowd is both a threat and a foil to individual rationality reasserted as being fundamental in accordance with the enlightenment tradition. 2) the institutionalizing of regular meeting supporting his activities. 3) the management of the bibliotheque de philosophie scientifique, a successful collection including famous authors, which was established in 1902 by flammarion. Studying the insertion of his theories into three distinct social areas is a way of confirming their interpretation and of being specific about their range. His writings slowly lost some of their validity in the academic field. This los was due to his individualistic strategy and to his rigid reading of the world, more than to ideological oppositions. The interest he aroused in the highest ranks of the military before 1914 and in influential businessmen groups between 1900 and 1930 was genuine. Their interest lay mostly in his theories on education and not at all in a highly improbable plan by the elite to manipulate the masses