Les sources et le sens des sciences humaines d'inspiration biologique au dix-neuvieme siecle : le role de l'histoire naturelle dans la constitution de l'anthroplogie et de la sociologie (1790-1900)
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Abstract EN:
[n the 19th century, natural history played a major part in the formation of sociology and anthropology. First of all, cuvier, who carried on jussieu's work, made a decisive step forward when, in the 1790s, he managed to convince the naturalists of the museum of the necessity of classifying animals according to their organization. Following this shift in viewpoint, throughout the 19th century, the questionings on man and society were to be expressed in terms that were specific of a new and very general trend which was based upon the notions, the arguments or the theories that naturalists had developed. The 19th century sociology and anthropology were formulated in the theoretical abstract frame of a general logic of organization. This frame was closely linked to an epistemology focused on the issue of classification. Thus when reading saint-simon, comte, spencer or durkheim, beyond all their divergences, one finds the same insistent reference to the individual or collective organization as well as the same prominent logical role alloted to taxonomical devices, in both the justification of sociology as the crowning of the system of sciences and the establishment of different types of societies. As for anthropology in the 1850s, it was in line with the plan for a natural history of man. Better still the views developed at the museum allow to explain the differences between the various theories which have been elaborated on this single background. Thus the evolutionist split is present in social science with spencer's theory : two distinct periods have followed one another in the history of this current of thought based upon the notion of organization. Finally the success encountered by natural history in the 19th century was such that its principles were even used in literature by balzac or in criminal identification by bertillon.
Abstract FR:
L'histoire naturelle a joue un role capital dans la constitution de la sociologie et de l'anthropologie au xixeme siecle. Cuvier, dans le prolongement des travaux de jussieu, accomplit tout d'abord un geste decisif en parvenant, dans les annees 1790. A convaincre les naturalistes du museum de la necessite de classer les animaux d'apres leur organisation. Consecutivement a ce renversement de perspective, les interrogations sur l'homme et sur la societe, vont etre formulees, tout au long du dixneuvieme siecle, dans les termes propres d'un nouveau champ de pensee tres general qui se deploie dans le prolongement des notions, des arguments ou des theories developpees par les naturalistes. La "sociologie" et l'anthropologie" du siecle passe se constituent ainsi dans le cadre theorique abstrait d'une "logique generalisee de l'organisation ", - cadre intimement associe a une epistemologic centree sur le probleme de la classification. Ainsi retrouve-t-on, chez saint-simon, comte, spencer ou durkheim, par dela leurs divergences, une meme reference insistante a l'organisation individuelle ou collective et un meme role logique eminent devolu aux procedures taxinomiques. Tant dans la justification de la sociologie comme couronnement du systeme des sciences que dans l'etablissement des differents types de societes. L'anthropologie des annees 1850 s'inscrit, quant a elle, dans le droit fil du projet d'une "histoire naturelle de l'homme". Plus encore, les vues developpees au museum permettent de rendre raison des differences separant les diverses theories elaborees sur ce fond unitaire. La rupture evolutionniste trouve ainsi un echo en sciences sociales avec la theorie de spencer : deux periodes tranchees se succedent dans l'histoire de cet espace de pensee fonde sur la notion d'organisation. Enfin, le succes de l'histoire naturelle au dixneuvieme siecle est tel que ses principes sont repris jusque dans la litterature - balzac - ou dans l'identification judiciaire - bertillon.