rancière, "early french socialism: ways to construct social identity"

7/30/2019 Rancire, "Early French Socialism: Ways to Construct Social Identity"

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8 Labour Histo Review, Vol.58, No.3 Winter 1993

dct or won tan or n Won wr ss d trog dcaton to qston xstng doctrns Cdrt st carrd g rsks ora ga and conocrstrctons pon tr dcsonakng dvrd t or to t crcstancso vng A or atastc ntaty and attacnt to t consoatons o trad

tona rgon wc vad sacrc and sordnaton sod not occason srprsn sc crcstancs Brakng wt rgon aso syosd rakng wt tay and was sots assocatd wt a ra rac. Antcrcas andscptca rgon ca tror n t dd o t nntnt cntry astartng pont or wons ancpaton

W s ts n t atoograps o Los Otto Los Aston and von MysnrgT tr 'nst dd not appar nt t 90s t tr was a nstagnda n ntrconssona wons cs o t 40s ondd n cos assocaton wt t congrgatons. Aot 5 cs rgd twn 45 and 5. Manyrs wr sstrs ratvs or ad n ary rnds; and contacts wrstasd twn cs sots ovr a grat dstanc as n t cos ts

twn Harg and Scwnrt n Bavara Most wons cs wr n Protstant cts T ggst cs ad arond 00 rs t 50 to 50 rswas typca T aorty wr stasd or t 449 rvoton ro46 onwards. T cs ad a do agnda: rst to prov socty trogspportng t rgos dssnt ovnt and stasng carta actvty scondto proot t ancpaton o won trog tr practca soca actvty Tss cary xprssd n or xap t statt o t ordasn c. Tprvang da o t ro o woan n socty was tat o 'qaty n drncs sod av t sa natra an rgts as n t s ad a drnt copntary spr wr s xrcsd spca dts and ncontrd spcadcts

Cs xstd prvosy wtn t Protstant and Catoc conssons t tswr ony opn to won o t gr dd cass T ntrconssona csondd y rgos dssdnts wr opn to ra Protstant Catoc and Jwswon o a casss. W rs ncdd t pttorgos and t dcatd dd cass donatd t attr wr not typca o tr strat: tosn t Harg c or xap wr drawn ro Jws or nwy stasdrcant as ratr tan ro t od orgos t Vry otn ty wrwvs dagtrs or sstrs o adng rvotonars.

T qston o t cs ca an ss at t Lpzg conc o t GranCatoc and Fr Congrgatons n 50 dd ty 'strngtn t nnatra dastwn n and won? So argd or t cs aoton: 'won and n

sod not v n ord sparaton t n aty nty. Yt tos wo argd ora sparat or snc won wr st ar ro ndpndnt s o tr rgtsand wod ttr ctvat conscosnss o tr rdo and ndpndnc awayro n nay prvad. T ntrconssona wons cs can sn as tan nt o t ary Gran wons ovnt T atr ovnt o t60s and 70s was or dtacd ro rgos dssnt t radca nstssc as Hdwg Do Hn Stckr and Ly Bran contnd n t od tradton

Universi of Tbingen SVA PAETSCHEK

Early Fench Socialism: ways to construct social identity

T qston s not ow Frnc workrs o t prod 0 to 50 sccdd nconstrctng tr coctv dntty; t s ratr wtr t ways o aryFrnc socas rqr s to rdn 'soca and rconsdr dntty?

Wat s t raton twn dntty and t soca qston? T proarss n raton to cros atrs o t prsng o t yons sk wavrsor canuts o ovr wt wc t rt and conscosnss o t Frncworkrs ovnt s gnray assocatd T canuts' sogan v workng or


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Cnfeence Repts 9

d gtng as n gord as syosng t prod workr cong yconscos o t opposton twn casss Yt n tr nwspapr Ech de laFabque w nd a contst or a na to rpac canuts Wat ca goroswas n act an onsv nckna. T nwspapr dat astd svra onts

On grop o skworkrs adoptd t tr feandnes takn ro t na oa arc t ts arosd t ndgnaton o a corrspondnt wo octd tat tavs n t nd no trac tat wod ak on tnk . . . (o) t actvty oskwavng Ts corrspondnt rqrd a transparnt na concvd n tposopca tradton o t gtnt cntry xprssng t da o a prcsactvty H sggstd secaen. Bt anotr sad t sx -en dd not st tnas o t prossons eefue wod ttr w octon: t sxfu e ony sts t ar workrs. Dat contnd wt or tan 30 otrsggstons tog non wr sctd dspt strong dands to answr t ndso a progrssv and nvrsa ovnt

T ss r was not as sggstd y Wa Sw It was a attr o ndng

a tr na ons own not copros twn t corporat do o ttrads and t nvrsast rtorcs o Rvoton Yt dntty was rst o aa attr o na t posd a da T workrs wsd to rct a naposd on t pacng t n tr nror pac. Ty drat o a proprna dnotng tr cass concvd ry as pop practsng an actvtydnd y a cass o proprts. Cass cod tn st tak tat rstrctvanng T rrnc tog s to a spcc da o angag not r corporatdo t rrors an da word o qa pop wr drnc o soca poston dsgnatd y nas wod ony a drnc o copntary actvtsAs no angag o tat nd xstd or socty rad y t tr cod nownnng word n t ornas contst

Ech de la Fabque contans appas or t ancpaton o t protaransCan w ass tn tat ang n t topan sarc to nd t na o trspcc dntty ty ca conscos o soca dvson and t ncssts ocass war W appar to av a good cassconscos gnnng to on artcsocty s dvdd nto two casss t protarans and t n o proprty Ytt contns

Ts s wat s ng ard a t t nowadays. W sad so too n ordr tos t sa trs Bt t was not at a or own togt Or aws rprovsc an rror and snc a ctzns ar qa n ront o t aw t rc andt poor do not ak p two drnt casss n t sa pop

So t appars tat a soca dntty s not t sknowdg o so part osocty and protaran s not a na o sdscovry o dntty and ntrstst dnots a pop twn svra nas and dntts T qotaton opposstwo syoc ods o socty on cassyng tos orn or workng ratr tantnkng prayng or govrnng and anotr prosng qaty to a Wat s dscovrd s not an conoca or socoogca concpt t a syoc potcastrctraton. T protaran s r pt nto a cass y otrs rss t asto nd a satsactory atrnatv tr crats a nw dntty and asss tna H s twn dntts and das o cass o and not part o soctyBanq answrd protaran wn t prosctor askd or s prosson Its not a prosson t prosctor sad. It s t prosson o t aorty

wo ar dprvd o potca rgts sad Banq. Tr s no conoca orsocoogca dnton o wat a protaran s prcsy cas t s a prossontat s not a prosson

In od atn pleta ant proc pop tos wo ak cdrn wory v and prodc wtot a propr na and av no pac wtn tsyoc ordr o t cty Jst or t rvotonary days o Jy 1830,Prr-Son Baanc a torst wo as to dpy nnta or soworkngcass tnkrs psd s Essas de palngnse scale Hr xand t w-known scsson o t Roan pans on t Avntn and dnd t


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10 Lbour Histo Riw ol58, No3 Wintr 1993

da was r rvot t patrcans odd t astrn prncp o otyand scrcy and kpt as tr own proprty t prrogatv o nang; t pans owvr odd t pncp o concaton o t word to vryodyPans dscovrd and wod av t patcans rcogns tat powr o spakng and nang t 'sgn o ntgnc tto nknown to tsvs nBaacans anayss t scn on t Avntn s a donstraton o qa capactyratr tan a rvot aganst t astrs t ndd prvg y t atra donstraton o ts gtacy or as t Frnc say ts nonliu t was t onto 't rt o t soca an . t an ndowd wt sodarty sypaty andrsponsty ow t protarans o LEho d l Fbriqu ct xacty t sagr. n donstratng tat ty wr not cratrs o 'nds and 'sots tystasd t nonliu o soca dvson As t orna LArtisn pt t n Sptr 0

Tr days av scd to cang or ncton n t conoy o socty

w too ar n and not acns Or ndstry wc yo av xpotd orso ong ongs to s as or own and t ngtnnt o nstrcton tood tat w av spd or rty as gvn s t ans and t rgt tor orsvs orvr ro t srvtd n wc yo od s

'Potcs was nvovd n t vry ondag o t 'soca qston: tr s nopont n opposng t soca raty o xpotd aor to a dct dgnty o tctzn

T qstons o t workrs ownrsp o work wtr ty wr rasonangs and qa ctzns aros wt rspct to t orgn o t Lyons prsngT dand or a nw prc st nvovd t wo soca qston not 'rytat o t tar t was a dand or a spac n wc workrs cod rcognsdas qa ctzns wt otrs dscssng and datng t prc pcy progatng t st n t procss o t acton aor was octd; and qatyad anst

T noton o t 'spac or spr was syoc and ra t was atrasdn t cas o t Lyons sk-wavrs y t 'cag n t sop o t astrsHr ty rogt tr coptd work and otand t nw Ty acd t crkstrog a gr wn n t cag sparatd as ty ongd to anotr spcsTy wr ogd to wat or a ong t sqzd aganst on anotr k cattT crks cattrd and agd at t; ogd t to sr rarks on trwork Ts was not an doogca aton addd to a condton o xpotatont xprnc o t cag and t ow wags wr two sds o t sa con Tpont tat t dasnt o t workrs rstd pon t nvsty o a aorconnd to an ndrword o t noss was rasd agan n t Cll to thworkrs o 4: wags wr ow cas ty wr dtrnd n prvat andn dostc condtons o dpndncy

T taors o Pars drng tr strk o ad askd or ratons ondpndncy and qaty wt t astrs t was not a attr o corporat prdor o sk W av sggstd swr tat argnts aot prossona sk andtant conscosnss rst pon ogca argnt Crtany t taors wr tooow n t sca o t workrs tradtona rarcy and too conscos tat trwork cod don y anyody to ndg n a prdo-crat tancy. Tr prdwas ratr tat o t rpcan an wo dns t partton o socts ntocasts Tr was no navty t taors knw tat t qas wr not qast saw tt pont n ry dnoncng t contradcton twn t procadqaty o a Frncn and t anst nqa ratons n work Yt tr waspont n sng t 'vra raty o qaty to crat a nw vsty o aoas a pc actvty; and sow t workrs as spakng and tnkng ngs wo knwtsvs as sc

Grgnon t strk adr octd strongy to t astrs rprsntaton o t taors ovnt as a rvot t tr was tradtonay sd todsgnat sav rots and ts s sowd t workrs wr consdrd as ongng


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Conferene Reports 11

to t astrs prvat ownrsp H dcard:

Tos gntn trat s scorny Ty ak a ca or pc prosctonaganst s Ty dar to pt on s t carg o revolt Dos ts an tat

w ar tr nggrs? Rvot ndd! Wn w ask or t ncras n or prcst wn w assocat orsvs to aos t xpotaton tat w arsrng to rv t ardsps o or condton Actay tr s sotngo an rontry n t vry word. Ts s nog to gtat or dcson.

For t taors 'a Frncn ar qa or t aw wr not 'r wordswttngy wrttn to dcv t coon pop W sod s ratr tan anopposton o words and acts a conrontaton o systs dast and rpcanac potca and ndstra wt ts own acts and words; and ways o akngacts wt words. So t words provd a trac tnos praps o t rvotonand ods o vsty ntatd or t coon pop ratr tan a 'ystcaton. T actons o t taors constrctd as a donstraton start to ak

vs t nw ordr o ratons wc st t t 'r words oqaty ar to tak on a raty T astrs dd not aow t pc dscssontat t taors dandd t t t attr constrctd t scn o tr ownvsty and ndowd tsvs wt t 'sgn o ntgnc. T nw sctwc cos orward s not t dntty o a workr tat wod nd ts good agn ts 'propr na: t s c or a capacty o spakng and dong ntatnga nw sty o soca ratons

T nw sty s gvn t na 'assocaton. T tr orrowd ro tpotca d can dsgnat a ta ad socty a socty o rsstanc or aprodcrs coopratv It nks t da o a r aggrgaton o ndvdas to torganc corporaton o a trad and rats to a crtan da o t socty. Onc

agan t s poss to sparat t 'soca ro t 'potca It s not spya concdnc tat t adrs o t Parsan strks o 833 wr rs o tSoct des drots de lomme For Grgnon t potca dna o t workrsanty prtand to t sa ogc as t 'conoca dsrgard o tr ownrsp and t soca contpt o tr ctznsp. Wtn t assocaton t workrsntatd or tr own sak a nw syst o ratons consstnt wt t da oqaty. T assocaton s gnray dscrd as a non o n wo gv acotr nstrcton ost partcary aot tr rgts nd dts as w as taspport. T taors worksop cratd as a rst o t strk was sn y trpcan prss as 't rst xap o t ancpaton o aor y ts ownworks and assd tat t cratv nstnct o svra corporatons o workrs

as ond a ans tat gos stragtr to t goa: ts s sstttng postvacton or r rsstanc and pttng capta nto t ands o t workrs

In ts prspctv 't rst ancpaton o t workrs s not to vwdas t rst xprnc o 'workrs powr t as addtona proo o trassocaton capacty ty ad nvntd a nw ans o ta spport dspayda sns o sorgansaton and xprntd y conng t proprty o aorwt tat o capta

'Tr t s ovr. W w go aad sad t typograpr Bannt as contd pon t conaton o two words and two ags tat saw n t conctWat s t natr o t 'w? T 'soca dntty constrctd y t workrss aov a tr dntty as socal bengs Wat ts ans s: qa pop gvng

ac otr nstrcton or enlgtenment and spport pop ngtnd aot tractvty and dgnty as prodcrs and rasona ngs as statd y JospJacotot t grat tortcan o ntcta ancpaton an ancpatd ans on 'awar o wat s and dos n t soca ordr and nay pop sngt ways o dscsson and donstraton n tr ratons wt otr pop.

W can rcogns r Baancs portrat o t pans on t Avntn Atng xap n spport o t pont tat t dgnty o aor as to do wt ts'socasaton pac n t gnra rang o socty and ts capacty o ngprord n a 'rpcan way ratr tan wt prd n ons own sk s


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12 Laour Histo Revie Vol58 No3 Winte 1993

provdd y t sonty o t statts o t gdrs non

T sscrrs grat and powr or avng acqrd t knowdg o tdgnty o t an wo works or s vng and or t vng o ty wo do

not work ng conscos tat t protaran ndstra s t ost san av nanosy pt on t rst dgr o t soca sca y avng agr to t oowng condtonsArtc . T socty o t gdrs non s progrssv and prsaTs t ntrst o t wood gdrs s to sstan wt a tr ora powras n or tnkng ngs t aws nactd n ts consttton

It s ncar wr t gdrs xacty ocat t 'rst dgr o t socasca t t dgnty o t prodcr s qatd wt s capacty to agr wt taws and sprt o t 'consttton ts s pror to any dtrnaton o wagrats. t s not a qston o 'ctr spcc to a corporaton t a transaton

o t rpcan da o consttton to t d o t corporatons. T transatons t sa watvr t spccs o t work and on cannot oppos as Swdos t 'ndvdastc rtag o t Rvoton to t corporat da o ttrad coctvty T rpcan da s not an 'ndvdastc on: t IS tconsttton o a coctvty. Convyanc o t rpcan da dd not an concvng t workrs as r ndvdas t ant concvng t trad as a ttrpc As t da o t rpc ntad t da o socty as a ntwork ocopntary s actvts tr was no contradcton twn t corporatv and rpcan das T grat pc sow o t corporatons n t sprngo 1848 was not a rtrn to t dd ags t was t dra o a grat rpcconsstng o a nr o tt rpcs o n drcty dntyng tr ng

workrs wt tr ngctzns.T constrcton o soca dntty rasd t qston w workrs o yowant to aorng asts or aorng n? men yo st cang n yorndvda and coctv annrs a tat prtans to t 'od an: yo av tocoos n yor coctv concts t way o ratona donstraton o yor rgtYo st stdy and ras yor ntgnc on t v o gnra pros soprovng tat yo ar conscos rs o t nw rpc o work.

Tr s tror an agty n 'soca dntty T pro s tat o coctwn two dntts. A soca ovnt s not araton o an dntty t tovnt n t ntrva twn dntts. T 'soca gnray spakng s adstrton o nctons and nas o spacs and pacs a knot twn t ordr

o dscors and t ordr o ods A soca

ovnt s so cad not cast s a ovnt o t owr casss o t socty aot attrs o work anwags t cas t pts nto qston tat syoc consttton o t socaspac

to gv ons t na o 'workr or 'protaran s not to ass an'dntty ddd n a ctr o t grop t to st a drnc a contradcton or an ntrva t wod ttr to spak o a procss or ogc osctvsaton n wc a nw congraton o spac and ratons s sogt anad Ts workng trog t condtons o xprnc can nvr t xprsson o a gvn coctvty

t s no concdnc tat t rgnc o socast togt occrrd wn tr

wr any 'rtc knowdgs. Baancs tory o pangnsy and Jacototstory o ntcta ancpaton provd dpy nnta xaps t trwr aso drnt ngstcs tors and practc o dcn o dcaton andatoddacs story and rgons. s wr not t coord contxt o a'popar ctr t t atras and ra or t rorgansaton o xprncT dntty o t tant workr n t prod can ond n any caractrst workrpot sscrr to a orna or rary nvntor o nw acns orprocsss raspast doctor or agntst adpt o nw rgons and otn ors appard n svra as w as on or otr o ts parts. Workrs ond anyways to rak ro tr 'own ody pac and ncton or ro t 'natra


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Confeence Repots 13

separation between men and women of leisure and study production and reproduction These new knowledges provided positions within which one could reconstitituterelations between the orders of discourse and conditions

An historical subject is never an individual or collective body identical to itselfdened by a set of proper attributes t is always a polemical construction He orshe can never be the mere expression of a given identity of the self of a community. Despite appearances to the contrary in the history of workingclass movementsin France the harsh self-identication of the 'producer as the key gure of thesecond half of the nineteenth century was a political assumption arising from theexperience political defeat and disappointment of 184851 not an expression ofa culture The radical critic of politics as such and the counterposing of the socialtruth of association to the deceptions of the political stage came out of the failureof 1848 and was not the product of a specic 'workingclass feeling despite itsconveyance to the working class in the ideology of the 'sole producer Thereversion to a suposedly native and separate identity is an historical constructiona moment in a singular process of subjectivisation.

When we face the crude assumptions of the producers identity made in the timesof anarchosyndicalism or the Soviet Revolution we tend to draw a direct line froma 'primitive identity of the manual worker to the political or counterpolitical assumptions of his coming reign We make use of a natural inference from theimage to the body from the effect to the cause The inference seems evidently validin the study of popular movements because the matter is supposed to dea witsimple people whose ways of doing and speaking may be taken as a direct expressionof their way of being. So their acts and words are explained in advance in a circularset of presuppositions about the way in which such beings may express themselves

The study of the socalled origins of French socialism brings into question the'natural identication between the worker of the address and the worker of theimage It shows that there can be no direct inference from the way of being to theway of doing and a way of saying as social subjects precisely because the activismof the so-called 'dominated peole or classes always presupposes a disruption oflinks which dictated their 'natural ways of doing seeing and saying their waysof clinging to their identity The study of the socalled origins is the best way todismiss the mythologies of the origins

Uniesity of Pais JACQUES RANCRE

'Defensive etism d eay ca unons in the wought ion ndust afe1850: Bitan, the USA and Gey in compative pespective

The emergence of trade unions and labour parties has been moved within the pastthirty years from the history of institutions into their social setting In the studyof the 'formation of the working class economic social sociocultural and political stages have been distinguished and have provided an inuential framework fortransnational comparisons especially of the early phases of class organisation Yetmore recently we have had developments in social theory the study of workplacerelations and industrial relations; which are taken into account in this treatment ofcraft unions in wrought iron industries after 185.

The expansion of railway networks and increasing consumption placed the ironindustry in the van of early industrialisation Britain took an early lead but the USindustry made substantial headway from the 184s on and production in the GermanRuhr district catapulted oin the 185s Mass production o iron took place in puddlingfurnaces Brittle pig was rened there into a malleable material which could be shapedinto rails and other products by rolling Wrought iron was the principal product ofheavy industry until the 187s when Bessemer and openhearth steel started to makeinroads. Yet completion of the shift from iron to steel should not be confused withdiffsion of the Bessemer technique since the highest outputs of rolled iron products

rancière, "early french socialism: ways to construct social identity"

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