Engineering a New Order in the 1930s: The Case of Jean Coutrot

This article explores interactions between intellectuals, human scientists, and engineers in France in the 1930s, by studying the example of one engineer, Jean Coutrot. In doing so, it argues for a rethinking of the period and a fresh approach to the history of modernization in France. Particular attention is paid to the Centre d’Ètudes des problËmes humains, founded by Coutrot in 1936, and to the way in which this center fostered a series of collaborations between the engineer and experts in various branches of applied psychology.