Emile Durkheim en de Dreyfus-affaire: II. Intellectuele reactie
Abstract
Emile Durkheim and the Dreyfus the Affair. II. Intellectual reaction – In this article a study is presented concerning the intellectual reaction of Emile Durkheim (1858-1917), the classic French sociologist, to the Dreyfus Affair (1894- 1906). Two texts which he wrote at the culminating point of the affair are of central importance : the article L'individualisme et les intellectuels (1898) and Durkheim’s contribution to an Enquête sur l' antisémitisme (1899). Both texts are summarized and commented upon below. For a correct interpretation of the first text in particular a short reflection on the so-called ’intellectuels’ and then opponent Ferdinand Brunetière (1849-1906) is desirable. In the last section of this article an attempt is made to situate Durkheim’s social and intellectual reaction to the affair against the background of the response of the Jewish community in France. The conclusion is drawn that Durkheim’s reaction was exceptional in Jewish circles and that it was based on a courageous standpoint. It reflects not only his academic reserve, but also his fundamental concern with the interests of the Third Republic. And lastly, it bears the hallmark of a complex personality.
How to Cite:
Goddijn, H., (1990) “Emile Durkheim en de Dreyfus-affaire: II. Intellectuele reactie”, Tijdschrift voor Sociale Wetenschappen 35(1), 37–57. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/tvsw.95032
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