Pierre Emmanuel Vidal-Naquet (; 23 July 193029 July 2006) was a French historian who began teaching at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) in 1969. Vidal-Naquet was a specialist in the study of

Ancient Greece Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically r ...

, but was also interested (and deeply involved) in contemporary history, particularly the

Algerian War The Algerian War (also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence) ''; '' (and sometimes in Algeria as the ''War of 1 November'') was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (Algeri ...

(1954–62), during which he opposed the use of torture by the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

, as well as

Jewish history Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their Jewish peoplehood, nation, Judaism, religion, and Jewish culture, culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Jews originated from the Israelites and H ...

. He participated with

Michel Foucault Paul-Michel Foucault ( , ; ; 15 October 192625 June 1984) was a French History of ideas, historian of ideas and Philosophy, philosopher who was also an author, Literary criticism, literary critic, Activism, political activist, and teacher. Fo ...

and Jean-Marie Domenach in the founding of the ''Groupe d'information sur les prisons'' (GIP), which was one of the first French new social movements. He was part of debates over

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods used by historians in developing history as an academic discipline. By extension, the term ":wikt:historiography, historiography" is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiog ...

in which he criticised negationism, and he was a supporter of

Middle East peace efforts This is a reversed chronological list of peace proposals in the Middle East, often abbreviated under the Mideast peace concept. Egyptian Crisis reconciliation * Egyptian constitutional referendum, 2012 * Egyptian constitutional referendum, 2014 ...

. To the end of his life, Vidal-Naquet never abandoned his fascination with Antiquity.

Biography

Vidal-Naquet's family belonged to the

Sephardic Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

community rooted in the

Comtat Venaissin The (; ; 'County of Venaissin'), often called the for short, was a part of the Papal States from 1274 to 1791, in what is now the region of Southern France. The region was an enclave within the Kingdom of France, comprising the area aroun ...

(

Carpentras Carpentras (, formerly ; Provençal dialect, Provençal Occitan language, Occitan: ''Carpentràs'' in classical norm or ''Carpentras'' in Mistralian norm; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the ...

Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...

). He was born in Paris, and he was raised in a

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and Aristocracy (class), aristocracy. They are tradition ...

, republican and

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin , or or ), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. The origins of secularity can be traced to the Bible itself. The concept was fleshed out through Christian hi ...

environment. His father Lucien was a lawyer, of " Dreyfusard" temperament, who quickly entered the Resistance in order to avoid

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

. In June 1940, the family moved to

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

. Arrested by the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

on 15 May 1944, Vidal-Naquet's father was deported, along with his wife, in June 1944. They were sent to

Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...

, where they died. At 14 years old, Pierre Vidal-Naquet then hid in his grandmother's house in the

Drôme Drôme (; Occitan: ''Droma''; Arpitan: ''Drôma'') is the southernmost department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. Named after the river Drôme, it had a population of 516,762 as of 2019.

. There, he read a lot, including the ''

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...

'', and came to know his cousin, the philosopher Jacques Brunschwig. He later learnt that the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

s had made "his father dance," something he would never forget. After his studies at the lycée Carnot in Paris, he specialised in the history of

, as well as in contemporary subjects such as the

(1954–1962) and

the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. He read Marc Bloch's ''Strange Defeat'', a book attempting to explain the causes of the defeat during the 1940

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

, which is one of the origins of his vocation as a historian. He discovered

surrealism Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

(

André Breton André Robert Breton (; ; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first ''Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') ...

, René Char and also

Antonin Artaud Antoine Maria Joseph Paul Artaud (; ; 4September 18964March 1948), better known as Antonin Artaud, was a French artist who worked across a variety of media. He is best known for his writings, as well as his work in the theatre and cinema. Widely ...

), and founded a review at 18 years old, along with Pierre Nora, ''Imprudence''. The 1949 Rajk trial definitively took out his will to adhere to the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (, , PCF) is a Communism, communist list of political parties in France, party in France. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its Member of the European Parliament, MEPs sit with The Left in the ...

(PCF). Pierre Vidal-Naquet first taught history at Orléans's high school (1955), before going to then University of Caen (1956–60) and then

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

(1961–62). Reading Dumézil and Lévi-Strauss, he would become a member of the "Paris School", ( not to be confused with

School of Paris The School of Paris (, ) refers to the French and émigré artists who worked in Paris in the first half of the 20th century. The School of Paris was not a single art movement or institution, but refers to the importance of Paris as a centre o ...

art movement ) originally composed of Jean-Pierre Vernant, Nicole Loraux, Marcel Detienne and himself. Their work would renew approaches to the study of Ancient Greece. He then worked at the

CNRS The French National Centre for Scientific Research (, , CNRS) is the French state research organisation and is the largest fundamental science agency in Europe. In 2016, it employed 31,637 staff, including 11,137 tenured researchers, 13,415 eng ...

(1962–64) and was named ''maître de conférences'' at the University of Lyon (1964–66). He was then named professor at the '' École pratique des hautes études'', which became the EHESS. Vidal-Naquet co-authored several books with his colleague and friend Jean-Pierre Vernant. However, although Vernant was a "comrade" of the

(PCF), Vidal-Naquet never belonged to any political party, with the exception of the Unified Socialist Party (PSU), which he considered a "mere discussion circle."“Le Dernier des dreyfusards”
article on Vidal-Naquet in ''

Le Figaro () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It was named after Figaro, a character in several plays by polymath Pierre Beaumarchais, Beaumarchais (1732–1799): ''Le Barbier de Séville'', ''The Guilty Mother, La Mère coupable'', ...

'', September 6, 2004 Pierre Vidal-Naquet was married and the father of three children. He was also officer of the ''

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

'' and, in Greece, commander of the Phenix Order. Pierre Vidal-Naquet was an atheist.

Activism

Pierre Vidal-Naquet defined himself as an "activist historian", and while pursuing his studies never ceased engaging in political struggles and taking part in political committees, etc. A member of the Comité Audin, along with Jérôme Lindon (editor of the Minuit publishing house), he was one of the best known opponents of the use of torture by the French Army during the

(1954–62). Along with

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...

and 119 others, he signed the ''

Manifesto of the 121 The Manifesto of the 121 (), was an open letter signed by 121 intellectuals and published on 6 September 1960 in the magazine ''Vérité-Liberté''. It called on the French government, then headed by the Gaullist Michel Debré, and public opi ...

'', a call for

civil disobedience Civil disobedience is the active and professed refusal of a citizenship, citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders, or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be cal ...

against the Algerian war. As an anti-colonialist, Vidal-Naquet was opposed to Guy Mollet's

French Section of the Workers' International The French Section of the Workers' International (, SFIO) was a major socialist political party in France which was founded in 1905 and succeeded in 1969 by the present Socialist Party. The SFIO was founded in 1905 as the French representativ ...

(SFIO) reformist party because of Mollet's support of the

First Indochina War The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam, and alternatively internationally as the French-Indochina War) was fought between French Fourth Republic, France and Việ ...

and Algerian War. He was also opposed to the Regime of the Colonels (1967–74) in Greece. He supported peace efforts in the Middle East as well as the Europalestine group. He thus declared: "I consider

Sharon Sharon ( 'plain'), also spelled Saron, is a given name as well as a Hebrew name. In Anglosphere, English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name, but historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In Israel, ...

a criminal." With

and Jean-Marie Domenach, on 8 February 1971 he signed the manifesto of the ''Groupe d'informations sur les prisons'', which, rather than speaking in the name of prisoners, aimed to give back to them the chance of speaking in their own voice. Vidal-Naquet was also active in condemning

denial Denial, in colloquial English usage, has at least three meanings: * the assertion that any particular statement or allegation, whose truth is uncertain, is not true; * the refusal of a request; and * the assertion that a true statement is fal ...

of the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

. Vidal-Naquet, who had answered or criticized Holocaust negationist Robert Faurisson in several of his works, once employed Faurisson as an example to illustrate "what the Armenian minorities might feel":

Let us imagine a negationist Robert Faurisson as a governmental minister, a Faurisson president of the Republic, a Faurisson general, a Faurisson ambassador, a Faurisson president of the Turkish Historical Commission and a member of the senate of the University of Istanbul, a Faurisson member of the United Nations, a Faurisson responding in the press each time the question of the Jews is raised. In brief, a state-sponsored Faurisson paired with an international Faurisson and, along with all that, a Talaat-
Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...
blessed, since 1943, with an official mausoleum in the country's capital.

Vidal-Naquet was one of the first scholars to deconstruct

historical revisionism In historiography, historical revisionism is the reinterpretation of a historical account. It usually involves challenging the orthodox (established, accepted or traditional) scholarly views or narratives regarding a historical event, timespa ...

, notably in ''The Assassins of Memory'' and ''Reflexions on Genocide''. He was also opposed to the 23 February 2005

French law on colonialism French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), a ...

passed by the conservative

Union for a Popular Movement The Union for a Popular Movement ( ; UMP ) was a Liberal conservatism, liberal-conservative List of political parties in France, political party in France, largely inspired by the Gaullism, Gaullist tradition. During its existence, the UMP was o ...

(UMP), but which was finally repealed by president

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...

in the beginning of 2006. Vidal-Naquet also criticized the 1990 Gayssot Act which prohibits revisionist discourse, claiming that the law shouldn't interfere in historical matters. Vidal-Naquet's arguments against legislation relating to historical studies is not, however, a door opened to revisionist speech. He once declared that he would rather name revisionists "negationists", and that he wouldn't engage with them for "simple and scientific reasons. An

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...

doesn't debate with an

astrologer Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...

. I wouldn't discuss with someone who supports the idea that the moon is made of

Roquefort Roquefort () is a sheep milk blue cheese from southern France. Though similar cheeses are produced elsewhere, European Union law, EU law dictates that only those cheeses aged in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon may bear the na ...

... it is impossible."

Criticism

While his analyses e.g. of Greek tragedy and the institution of the

Athenian Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

ephebia has been favourably received by many French intellectuals, they have been strongly challenged elsewhere, particularly by

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...

s who, like Vidal-Naquet himself, were favourably inclined towards a

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

analysis. His structuralist approach has been called ahistorical, his analyses of the texts as lacking in thoroughness and even manipulative, using categories like

polysemy Polysemy ( or ; ) is the capacity for a Sign (semiotics), sign (e.g. a symbol, morpheme, word, or phrase) to have multiple related meanings. For example, a word can have several word senses. Polysemy is distinct from ''monosemy'', where a word h ...

and

ambiguity Ambiguity is the type of meaning (linguistics), meaning in which a phrase, statement, or resolution is not explicitly defined, making for several interpretations; others describe it as a concept or statement that has no real reference. A com ...

which his critics found do not apply. Vincenzo Di Benedetto, ''Il Filottete e l'efebia secondo Vidal-Naquet'', in: ''Belfagor'' 33 (1978), p. 191-207; see also Vincenzo Di Benedetto, ''L'ambiguo nella tragedia greca: una categoria fuorviante'', in: '' Euripide "

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; ; ) is the daughter of Aeëtes, King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished "wiktionary:φαρμακεία, pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high- ...

", introd. di V. Di Benedetto, trad. di E. Cerbo'', Milan, 1997, p. 62-75.

Works

Ancient Greece

*''Clisthène l'Athénien'', 1964 (with Pierre Lévêque) 'Cleisthenes the Athenian: An Essay on the Representation of Space and of Time in Greek Political Thought from the End of the Sixth Century to the Death of Plato'', Humanities Press, 1996*''La Grèce ancienne - Du mythe à la raison'', with Jean-Pierre Vernant, Le Seuil, coll. Points, 1990 *''La Grèce ancienne - L'espace et le temps'', with Jean-Pierre Vernant, Le Seuil, coll. Points, 1991 *''La Grèce ancienne - Rites de passage et transgressions'', with Jean-Pierre Vernant, Le Seuil, coll. Points, 1992 *''Mythe et tragédie en Grèce ancienne'', with Jean-Pierre Vernant, La Découverte, 2000 *''Les Grecs, les historiens et la démocratie'', La Découverte, 2000 *''Œdipe et ses mythes'', with Jean-Pierre Vernant, Complexe, 2001 *''La démocratie grecque vue d'ailleurs'', Flammarion, coll. Champs, 2001 *''Le chasseur noir - Formes de pensées et formes de société dans le monde grec'', Francois Maspero, Paris 1981 *''Le miroir brisé : tragédie athénienne et politique'', Les Belles Lettres, 2002 (new edition) *''Travail et esclavage en Grèce ancienne'', with Jean-Pierre Vernant, Complexe, 2002 *''Le monde d'Homère'', Perrin, 2002 *''Fragments sur l'art antique'', Agnès Viénot, 2002 *''L'Atlantide. Petite histoire d'un mythe platonicien'', Les Belles Lettres, 2005 ; .

Algeria

*''L'Affaire Audin, 1957-1978'', éditions de Minuit, 1989 ouvelle édition augmentée*''La torture dans la République : essai d'histoire et de politique contemporaine, 1954-1962'', Minuit, 1998 (''Torture: Cancer in Democracy'', out of print) *''Les crimes de l'armée française Algérie 1954-1962'', La Découverte, 2001 (Préface inédite de l'auteur) *''La Raison d'État. Textes publiés par le Comité Audin'', La Découverte, 2002 (nouvelle édition du livre publié en 1962 aux éditions de Minuit)

Jewish history and revisionism

*''The Assassins of Memory and Other Essays'', articles on Robert Faurisson,

Noam Chomsky Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American professor and public intellectual known for his work in linguistics, political activism, and social criticism. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is also a ...

and revisionism (French: ''Les Assassins de la mémoire'', Le Seuil, 1995) *''Les Juifs, la mémoire et le présent'', Le Seuil, 1995 *''La solution finale dans l'histoire'', with Arno Mayer, La Découverte, 2002

Other

*''Le trait empoisonné'', La Découverte, 1993 (about Jean Moulin) *"A Dangerous Game"
''Telos''
98-99 (Winter 1993-Fall 1994). New York: Telos Press. *''Mémoires t.1 - La brisure et l'attente, 1930-1955'', Le Seuil, 1998 *''Mémoires t.2 - Le trouble et la lumière, 1955-1998'', Le Seuil, 1998

References

External links

Pierre Vidal-Naquet.net
o
in French
from ''

L'Humanité (; ) is a French daily newspaper. It was previously an organisation of the SFIO, ''de facto'', and thereafter of the French Communist Party (PCF), and maintains links to the party. Its slogan is "In an ideal world, would not exist." History ...

''
Obituary
by Julian Jackson, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', August 10, 2006 *Paul Berman,
Denying the Deniers
, ''New York Times Magazine'', December 31, 2006
NY Review of Books
a few manifestos and

petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to an officia ...

s signed by Vidal-Naquet over the years {{DEFAULTSORT:Vidal-Naquet, Pierre 1930 births 2006 deaths Writers from Paris French atheists 20th-century French Sephardi Jews Unified Socialist Party (France) politicians French hellenists Historians of antiquity Historians of colonialism Historians of the Holocaust Jewish atheists Jewish historians Jewish socialists French classical scholars French opinion journalists Lycée Henri-IV alumni Lycée Carnot alumni Academic staff of the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences 20th-century French historians 21st-century French historians Corresponding fellows of the British Academy