Comprendre malcolm x : etude de l'homme et de ses idees a travers les differentes "interpretations", de l'autobiographie aux biographies, des discours au film
Institution:
Paris 7Disciplines:
Directors:
Abstract EN:
Understanding malcolm x is a study of the man and his ideas, based on different "interpretations" including the autobiography of malcolm x as told to alex haley, his biographies, the anthologies of his speeches and the spike lee film released in 1992. This four-part study is an attempt at "understanding" who malcolm x was and why he became the object of such an interest in the nineties, especially among young african-americans, while he was often discredited during his life time and was overshadowed by martin luther king's presence in the forefront of the civils rights movement, then at its height. From the first part examining the autobiography of malcolm x and alex haley's role in the production of the text to the last part dealing with "hero-worship" and media "hype", from the biographical study to the analysis of his political thoughts, this dissertation aims at fighting against preconceived ideas that distort malcolm's image. To some he is a flawless hero and to others he is a racist-extremist preaching violence and the most sectarian ideas. Malcolm's life was, to paraphrase him, "a chronology of changes". One must then keep that in mind and assess his ideas and stands also according to those "changes" that punctuated his career. While remaining faithful to his philosophy of black nationalism that advocated, among other things, the right to self-defense and black self-determination, malcolm, near the end of his life, moved towards more progressive ideas.
Abstract FR:
Comprendre malcolm x est une etude de l'homme et de ses idees fondee sur les differentes "interpretations" qui sont l'autobiographie de malcolm x ecrite en collaboration avec alex haley, les biographies, les anthologies de ses discours et le film de spike lee sorti en 1992. Cette etude, qui se presente en quatre parties, tente de "comprendre" qui etait malcolm x (1925-1965) et pourquoi un homme tel que lui, souvent decrie de son vivant et eclipse par la presence du pasteur martin luther king, l'embleme du mouvement des droits civiques alors a son apogee, fut l'objet d'un si grand engouement dans les annees quatre-vingt dix, surtout chez la jeune generation d'africains-americains. De la premiere partie consacree a l'examen de l'autobiographie de malcolm x et du role d'alex haley dans la production du texte jusqu'a la derniere partie abordant le theme du "culte du heros", en passant par l'etude biographique et l'analyse de la pensee politique du leader noir, la presente these vise a combattre les idees recues qui deforment l'image de malcolm x. Il est eleve par les uns au statut de heros sans reproche et abaisse par les autres a celui de raciste-extremiste prechant la violence et les idees les plus sectaires. La vie de malcolm x a ete, pour reprendre ses propres expressions, "une chronologie de changements". Il faut donc en tenir compte et evaluer ses idees et ses prises de position aussi par rapport a ces "transformations" qui ont jalonne son parcours. Tout en restant fidele a sa philosophie politique, le nationalisme noir, qui preconisait en particulier l'autodefense et l'autodetermination, malcolm, vers la fin de sa vie, pronait des idees de plus en plus progressistes.