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The Contard Affair: Private Power, State Control, and Paternal Authority in Fin‐de‐Siècle France
Author(s) -
TOTH STEPHEN A.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of historical sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.186
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1467-6443
pISSN - 0952-1909
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-6443.2010.01372.x
Subject(s) - imprisonment , fin de siecle , bourgeoisie , ideology , state (computer science) , power (physics) , institution , prison , victory , sociology , criminology , political science , law , humanities , politics , art , physics , algorithm , quantum mechanics , computer science
Abstract This paper examines how the suicide of a teenager illuminated a longstanding ideological divide in fin‐de‐siècle France. Five days after his arrival at the Maison Paternelle, an internationally renowned, privately‐operated establishment for bourgeois boys, Gaston Contard committed suicide. The suicide was quickly sensationalized in the press and resulted in a wide‐ranging investigation by public prosecutors who charged the institution's director with illegal imprisonment. Although acquitted, this was a pyrrhic victory as the event marked a critical turning point in the relationship between private power, state control and paternal authority as it pertained to the incarceration and socialization of troubled youths.