Regenerating France, regenerating the world : the abbé Grégoire and the French Revolution, 1750-1831

417 Pages·1998·22.141 MB·English

by  Alyssa Rachel Goldstein Sepinwall

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REGENERATING FRANCE, REGENERATING THE WORLD:
THE ABB£ GRfiGOIRE AND THE FRENCH REVOLUTION, 1750 - 1831
A DISSERTATION
SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY
AND THE COMMITTEE ON GRADUATE STUDIES
OF STANFORD UNIVERSITY
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Alyssa Rachel Goldstein Sepinwall
May 1998
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UMI Number: 9901602
Copyright 1998 by
Sepinwall, Alyssa Rachel Goldstein
All rights reserved.
UMI Microform 9901602
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Copyright © by Alyssa Rachel Goldstein Sepinwall 1998
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I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it is fully
adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy.
Keith Michael Baker, Principal Advisor
I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it is fully
adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy.
Aron Rodrigu
I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it is fully
adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy.
Louise Roberts
Approved for the University Committee on Graduate Studies
U&4&IU-
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ABSTRACT
The abbe Henri Gregoire has been creating controversy around the
world for over two hundred years. This dissertation focuses on Gregoire —
and debates about him — as a way of shedding light on the origins of the
French Revolution, its course and radicalization, and its global legacy. It
analyzes his vision for "regenerating" (remaking or improving) Jews and
speakers of regional dialects in France, and men and women of color
throughout the rest of the world, from Haiti to India. It also examines the
ways in which members of these groups reacted to Gregoire’s plans.
The first section of the dissertation investigates the origins of
Gregoire's notion of regeneration in order to trace some of the intellectual
inspirations for the French Revolution and its universalism. Chapters One
and Two look at the multiplicity of Gregoire's prerevolutionary intellectual
affinities, including secular, Catholic, and Protestant ones. These chapters
focus particularly on the nexus between Enlightenment and religion, and on
Gregoire's efforts to remake peasants and the Church. Chapter Three
analyzes the paradoxes of Gregoire's advocacy in the 1780's of a "physical,
moral and political regeneration" for Jews. Even as Gregoire denounced
persecution of the Jews, he was also quite critical of them, and backed away
from the more sympathetic views of other eighteenth-century reformers.
The next section deals with Gregoire's participation in the French
Revolution. Though the Revolution and Christianity have come to be
thought of as opposing forces, Chapters Four and Five remind us that the
Revolution could initally be seen as implementing the Gospels. These
chapters also explore the contradictions of revolutionary universalism; even
as Gregoire and his colleagues called for a universal regeneration of the
whole country, they targeted for special regeneration groups who were
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V
deemed to be more degenerate than others (especially slaves, Jews, and
dialect-speakers). This section also traces the transformation of
"regeneration" from a discourse of unity and utopia to one of division as
Gregoire invoked scapegoats (especially nobles, conservative priests, and
women) to explain the failures of the Revolution. Finally, it examines
Gregoire's efforts to create a sort of "cultural revolution."
The final section examines the legacy of republicanism in the wake of
the Terror, and the links between the Revolution and colonialism. Chapter
Six analyzes the efforts of Gregoire and various colleagues to ensure the
continuing viability of republicanism by creating a new social science,
rebuilding the tattered Church, and strengthening the ties between France
and its colonies. It suggests that Gregoire and his friends, while all
abolitionists, created new justifications for colonialism at a moment when it
could have been abandoned. Chapters Seven and Eight complicate the
depiction of Gregoire as a "liberator" of the oppressed. Chapter Seven focuses
on his relationship with Haitian leaders during the first decades of the
nineteenth century. Though Gregoire was acclaimed by Haitian elites as their
only European friend, and though they adopted "regeneration" as their
slogan of national development, the chapter suggests that his universalism
was more complicated than it appeared. Chapter Eight analyzes two of
Gregoire's most substantial but neglected works, showing that Gregoire's
discussions of oppressed peoples served largely as forums for asserting the
superiority of Catholicism over all other religions. His discussions of
marginalized peoples gave them tools for empowering themselves, but also
suggested that they needed to abandon their cultural particularities — and to
become Catholic — in order to be regenerated.
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