Contenu du sommaire : Varia

Between social and sanitary: policies against poverty and insecurity in twentieth century France
This article seeks to examine yet unexplored policies against poverty and insecurity under a double perspective. Firstly, as a complex and multi-shaped maze, with a fundamental role played by local authorities and organisations : indeed, France, like Germany and Anglo-Saxon countries, falls under a « mixed economy of welfare ». Secondly, as a recurrent articulation of sanitary and social vulnerabilities, the only basis considered as politically correct until the mid-twentieth century. From the beginnings of the Third Republic to the eve of the First World War, these policies were elaborated by a general evolution from the local sphere to the national sphere by targeting communities presenting a double sanitary and social vulnerability. From one war to the next, the consecration of social hygiene moved the direction of social action even further towards the realm of the sanitary, even though traditional assistance was seemingly temporarily revived by the 1930s crisis and the difficulties entailed by the German occupation. Finally, the focus on the remaining “pockets” of poverty (especially the elderly and immigrants) during the “Glorious Thirty” (1945-1975) led to the intermingling of both forms of insecurity, although it was no longer exclusive.

The “invention” of the immigrant. Belgian psychiatry faced with North African immigration in the 1960s-70s. This article mingles both the history of immigration and the history of psychiatry by examining the ways in which a part of the medical field contributed to the making of the « immigrant » in Belgium in the 1960s-70s. Using medical reports as its basis, it seeks to stress that the dominant understanding was formulated in cultural terms. The concept of culture served as a basic concept that enabled to articulate several differences uneasily grasped by psychiatrists. Culture may serve to analyse family role models and conflicts, to explain the conflicts emerging between emigration and immigration countries, and to express the existing incomprehension between psychiatrist and patient.

A tension spot between centre and periphery ? Assisting sufferers with mental disorders in the Rhône department (1918-1940)Numerous recent reports have pointed to regional differences concerning the provision of psychiatric care. These refer back to legacies which this article seeks to depict through a study of assistance policies to indigent people suffering from mental disorders in the Rhône department between the two world wars. In a context marked by the emergence of new priorities in terms of assistance, general councillors, then confronted with the rapid increase in the number of internments, objected to providing financially for the upkeep of this category of persons – who they considered a “social waste” – and were opposed to the modernisation of psychiatry encouraged by a state which itself refused to provide for it financially.

Between psychiatry, social work and civil rights: regulating the protection of individuals at the turn of the 1980sThe history of the protection of individuals forcibly illustrates the difficulties entailed in regulating interventions on others. The expression itself emerged in the twentieth century at the crossing between two distinct social, judicial and intellectual traditions. On the one hand, it borrows from some of the richest images of the history of the welfare state and social rights; on the other hand, it is also set in a more ancient judicial, political and intellectual tradition, that of civil rights. The contact between these diverse influences explains the difficult evolution of the protection of individuals during the twentieth century. Based on varied materials, this analysis focuses on the genesis and application of the 3rd July 1968 legislation concerning the reform of incapacitated adults' rights and shows how it provided, through State guardianships, the frame for a new perception of the protection of individuals.

Circumstantial adjustments. The colonial state, the nationalist movement and rental control legislation (Bombay, 1918-1928)This article analyses the political significance of the implementation of rental control legislation in Bombay between 1918 and 1928. The Indian city, which was actively involved in the British war effort, was indeed highly exposed to changes introduced by the conflict. This article seeks to ascertain whether, in enacting these controls, the colonial authorities were indeed following the evolutions seen in Great Britain, towards the consideration of new social duties by the state. In order to determine precisely which social or political demands the British sought to address in priority, the article studies in detail the context of the implementation and the legal provisions of those laws.

“Making Algeria Pleasant”. Tourism and colonisation in Algeria (from the 1870s to 1962)Crossed by many travellers from the mid-19th century, Algeria later became a popular tourist destination for winter-holiday makers and tourists. At the turn of the 20th century, local business circles and colonial authorities introduced structures destined to favour the development of tourism in the country. Tourism represented to most a source of potential wealth for the colony but also a mirror of “French works” in Algeria. The military itself took over the development of tourist activities in the Sahara region. Yet in spite of agreed efforts – albeit modest in comparison with the ambitions displayed – tourism had trouble developing. Neither did the attempt to introduce a popular tourism after World War Two meet the expected success. This article seeks to (modestly) contribute to the study of colonial societies through the analysis of the various tourism development policies that were elaborated.

Professionnal coaches and their influence on French football results, 1932-1973In spite of the introduction of professional football in 1932, French football results remained poor until the 1970s, when compared to those of other nations. Professional French coaches believed they were not responsible for this partial failure. This paper seeks to study in detail the mechanisms which explain the organisation of this professional group of coaches, as well as its influence on the level of French football. The leading role of Georges Boulogne, Head of the “Amicale des entraîneurs” (Coach Association) 1956 onwards, is emphasized: through both his will to promote and improve football, as well as defend the interests of his peers, he came to be considered as the man who guaranteed their professional identity. But in spite of his perpetual involvement and activism, he failed to lead coaches to contribute to a meaningful improvement of French football.

Sport, race and politics: Taboo and the reception of discourse on the athletic abilities of races in the United States. This article examines the reception and the controversy surrounding the publication in the United States of Jon Entine's book, Taboo. According to the book, human races differ from an athletic point of view because they are “naturally” unequal in terms of physical “abilities.” The study of the contrasted reception of Entine's book, stretching from warm endorsement to absolute rejection, highlights the permanence of the question of racial differences in the U. S., and poses the problem of the use of science as a legitimate means to promote political ends and the freedom of speech in the academic field. This article also underlies the lasting interest of the general public for the supposed social and political implications of genetic research results. Last but not least, this study is one measure of the challenges facing natural and social sciences concerning the delimitation of their field of academic expertise.