Etudes saint-simoniennes (review)

This book presents twelve articles on the Saint-Simonian movement. Between 1825 and 1832, the Saint-Simonians argued in favor of the emancipation of women and workers; the creation of an industrially based economy and a new, socially responsible religion; the joining of the "Orient" and the "Occident"; and the leadership of artists, scientists, and intellectuals. Edited by Philippe Régnier, who inserted an invaluable bibliography, this book reflects a new interdisciplinary approach to the Saint-Simonians. It brings to light aspects of their thought and activities that have been overlooked as well as the variety of literary, scientific, economic, and political channels through which they made an impact.

Using Freudian psychology, Anne Levallois demonstrates that Prosper Enfantin eventually became the "supreme father" of the Saint-Simonian family, replacing Saint-Simon. In early 1832, Enfantin invited forty Saint-Simonian "sons" to join him in a retreat at Ménilmontant. Though adulated, he disbanded the association in late 1832 because he feared being not only "enclosed in the trap of idealization and of transference" but crushed by the "task of repressing affective homosexual excesses." To escape, he announced that he was going to Egypt in search of the "Mother." Levallois gives us a new picture of a moderate Enfantin, who respected the limits of power.

Taking a semiotic approach, Serge Zenkine argues that Saint-Simonianism represented a unique, "modern religious experience" that was both rationalist and mystical. It was untraditional in endorsing an androgynous God, avoiding typical religious preoccupations with impurities, and employing profane signs, such as exotic clothes with buttons in the back to develop fraternal feelings. Yet at the same time, it adopted traditions of the sacred. Members of the sect created symbolic series and triads that were reminiscent of the secret hermetical tradition. Mixing the old and the new, the Saint-Simonian religion was playful, theatrical, and ultimately liberating.

Focusing on Le Livre nouveau des saint-simoniens, written in 1832 and 1833, Jean-Michael Gouvard explains the rationale behind Enfantin's project of creating a new language. The Saint-Simonians were original, according to Gouvard, because unlike their contemporaries, they did not present the French language as the universal language. Instead, they sought to create an entirely new "archilangue" that would preserve "all the rhythms and accents of previous human languages" and represent the voice of humanity.

Michèle Riot-Sarcy sheds light on the varied reactions of the Saint-Simonians to the Revolution of 1848, a period that is frequently overlooked in histories of their movement. Although the Saint-Simonians did not act as a group and had lost their missionary zeal, they still remained in contact. They debated what the Second Republic should do to meet the needs of the time. Enfantin, who did not trust the workers' "capacity" to rule, advised bourgeois financiers and industrialists on how to take the initiative and introduce realistic reforms. Riot-Sarcy argues that Enfantin's version of socialism, which endorsed the "juste milieu," ultimately triumphed over more utopian versions.

Two articles focus on Gustave d'Eichthal, who left the movement after Enfantin was brought to trial in 1832. According to Michel Espagne, d'Eichthal came from a wealthy Jewish banking family originally based in Germany. Taking advantage of the financial network that was available to him, d'Eichthal spent several years in Germany, learning about Kant, Herder, Lessing, Hegel, and biblical critics, such as Adolf Hilgenfeld. Their writings taught him the importance of justice and of reconciliation, especially the necessity of bringing together Jews and Christians, the "Orient" and the "Occident," and the rich and poor. Sandrine Lemaire takes this theme one step further in one of the most interesting essays of the book. She shows that d'Eichthal boldly encouraged the physical union of blacks and whites as a means of creating more perfect humans. D'Eichthal was "one of the first of those in his epoch who believed in the power of crossbreeding the races as a means of civilization."

In another fascinating article, historians...