Christian Renoux is a French historian and an activist for nonviolence.
Education and teaching
Born in 1960, he is alumnus of the
École normale supérieure de Fontenay-Saint-Cloud (1982), agrégé in History (1984), alumnus of the
École française de Rome
The École française de Rome (EFR) is a French research institute for history, archaeology, and the social sciences; overseen by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, and a division of the Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur et ...
, the French Historical Institute of Rome (1992–1995), doctor in Early modern History of the
Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University
Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University (), also known as Paris 1 (or Paris I) and Panthéon-Sorbonne University (or, together with Sorbonne University and Sorbonne Nouvelle University, simply as the Sorbonne), is a Public university, public rese ...
(1996) and graduated in Catholic theology from the
Marc Bloch University
The University Marc Bloch, also known as Strasbourg II or UMB, was a university in Strasbourg, Alsace, France. As of 2006, it had around 13,000 students. Its name used to be ''Université des Sciences Humaines'' (University of Social Sciences), bu ...
of
Strasbourg
Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...
.
Since 1998, he has been associate professor of Early modern History at the
University of Orléans
The University of Orléans () is a French university, in the Academy of Orléans and Tours. As of July 2015 it is a member of the regional university association Leonardo da Vinci consolidated University.
History
In 1230, when for a time the ...
(France), where is also teaching the History of Religions and the History of Nonviolence.
Research
His research work is about the history of
canonization
Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christianity, Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon ca ...
and of
sainthood
In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Orth ...
in the
Early Modern Times and about the history of Female Mystics in the 17th century. He is also interested in the history of
demoniacal possession in the same period.
He published an history of the Peace Prayer attributed to saint
Francis of Assisi
Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone ( 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italians, Italian Mysticism, mystic, poet and Friar, Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Inspired to lead a Chris ...
("Lord, make me an instrument of your peace"), in which he demonstrated that this text, well known as the
Prayer of Saint Francis and become in half a century one of the most famous worldwide prayers, appeared, anonymously, in 1912, in
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, and has been wrongly attributed to saint Francis around 1925.
Commitments for peace and nonviolence
A
conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–indu ...
, he served during his obligatory civilian service (1985–1987) at the ''Cahiers de la Réconciliation'', magazine of the MIR, French branch of the
International Fellowship of Reconciliation (
IFOR). He was editor of this magazine from 1987 to 2006. He has been member of MIR France national committee since 1987 and was MIR France co-president from 1994 to 2004. He was member of
IFOR Steering Committee from 1996 to 2000. He is one of its representatives at
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
and its treasurer (since 2018).
Since November 2000, he has been the MIR France representative to the National Committee and president of the
French Coalition for the Decade for the Culture of Peace and Nonviolence (2001–2010), which became in April 2011 the Coalition for the Education for Nonviolence and Peace.
Since June 2003, he has been the representative of the French Coalition to the International Committee and president of the
International Coalition for the Decade for the Culture of Peace and Nonviolence (2001–2010), which became in April 2011 the International Network for the Culture of Peace and Nonviolence.
Book
* Christian Renoux, ''La prière pour la paix attribuée à saint François: une énigme à résoudre'', Paris, Éditions franciscaines, 2001, 210 p.
* Christian Renoux, ''La preghiera per la pace attribuita a san Francesco. Un enigma da risolvere'', Padoue, Edizioni Messagero Padova (EMP), 2003, Collana: Memoria e profezia, 180 p.
Book's abstract: "The Origin of the Peace Prayer of St. Francis"Book's review
* Jean-Patrice Boudet, Philippe Faure et Christian Renoux, ''De Socrate à Tintin. Anges gardiens et démons familiers de l’Antiquité à nos jours'', Rennes, Presses Universitaires de Rennes, 2011, 330 p.
* Coordination pour l'Ă©ducation Ă la non-violence et Ă la paix, Vincent Roussel
irand Christian Renoux
oreword ''100 questions-réponses pour éduquer à la non-violence'', Lyon, Chronique sociale, 2011, 231 p.
* Philippe Castagnetti, Christian Renoux
ir. ''Culture et société au miroir des procès de canonisation (XVI
e-XX
e siècle)'', Saint-Etienne, Presses universitaires de Saint-Etienne, 2016, 194 p.
* Aude Bonord, Christian Renoux
ir. ''François d'Assise, un poète dans la cité. Variations franciscaines en France (XIX
e-XX
e siècles'', Paris, Classique Garnier, 2019, 243 p
* Philippe Castagnetti, Christian Renoux
ir. ''Sources hagiographiques et procès de canonisation. Les circulations textuelles autour du culte des saints, XVI
e-XX
e siècle'', Paris, Classique Garnier, 2022, 418 p
*Laure Depretto, Christian Renoux, Christophe Speroni et Gabriele Vickermann-Ribémont
ir. ''Cultures du secret Ă l'Ă©poque moderne. Raisons, espaces, paradoxes, fabriques'', Paris, Classiques Garnier, coll. Polen, 2023, 376 p
Articles on line
« Une source de l'histoire de la mystique moderne revisitée : les procès de canonisation » in ''
Mélanges de l'École française de Rome''. Italie et Méditerranée'', 1993, vol. 105, n° 105-1, p. 177–217.
« Discerner la sainteté des mystiques. Quelques exemples italiens de l'âge baroque », in ''Rives nord-méditerranéennes'', n° 3, 1999, p. 19–28.« Madame Acarie lit Thérèse d'Avila », October 2001.« Freud et l'affaire Haizmann », in ''Psychoanalytische Perspectieven'', 2002, t. 20, 2, p. 309–325.
« Cultivons la paix », interview for the Secours Catholique / Caritas France, June 2004.
* ttp://www.humanite.presse.fr/popup_print.php3?id_article=830817 « La paix, invitée de La Villette », interview for ''L'Humanité'', June 1 2006.
Interview on line
« Peut-on éduquer à la paix ? », documentary – 2006 – 26 mn. The television program ''Question d'Église'' from ''Jour du Seigneur'' on French national Channel France 2, presents the second International Salon for Peace Initiatives, which took place in Paris in June 2006 (13,000 participants)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Renoux, Christian
Lycée Lakanal alumni
ENS Fontenay-Saint-Cloud-Lyon alumni
20th-century French historians
Nonviolence advocates
Living people
French male non-fiction writers
1960 births
21st-century French historians
French historians of religion