The Birth of Solidarity: The History of the French Welfare State

François Ewald

Published by Duke University Press 2020

The Birth of Solidarity

The History of the French Welfare State

François Ewald
Edited by: Melinda Cooper
Translated by: Timothy Scott Johnson

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781478009214

Overview
Contents

About this book

François Ewald’s The Birth of Solidarity—first published in French in 1986 and appearing here in English for the first time—is one of the most important historical and philosophical studies of the rise of the welfare state.

Author / Editor information

François Ewald is International Research Fellow at the University of Connecticut School of Law, chair of the Scientific Committee of the Université de l’Assurance, and the author and coeditor of several books in French.

Melinda Cooper is Professor of Sociology at the Australian National University.

Timothy Scott Johnson is Visiting Assistant Professor of History at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi.

Reviews

“Ingenious and trenchant, François Ewald's The Birth of Solidarity offers an arresting insight into the politicization of probability. Abounding in legal and historical detail, the book deftly demonstrates how industrial power integrated French society by assuming the risk of accidents. Ewald's critical theory of the rules of judicial decision-making is a tour de force. His critique of law brilliantly unveils the birth of the twentieth-century insurantial society that is now itself at risk.”

-- Bernard E. Harcourt, author of The Illusion of Free Markets: Punishment and the Myth of Natural Order

“François Ewald's seminal book is not only a major contribution to the history of the welfare state but a significant work of social and political theory in its own right, notably in the way Ewald applies a Foucauldian perspective to understanding the significance of concepts such as responsibility, insurance, and solidarity to modern forms of government. The Birth of Solidarity is a landmark in French political thought.”

-- Michael C. Behrent, coeditor of Foucault and Neoliberalism

"This very important text covers some familiar ground but is set in a rich context of political theory that sheds light on current challenges to the welfare state. Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty."

-- J. D. Moon Choice

“Ewald’s interweaving of complex social forces is captivating, as he systematically delineates the many individuals, groups, ideologies, political parties, and historical events that contributed to what became the French welfare state. Social scientists will be particularly intrigued by his exploration of the power of demographics as they clashed with the social structures that could no longer respond to them effectively."

-- Gail Murphy-Geiss Modern & Contemporary France

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Translator’s preface Timothy Scott Johnson Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Risk, insurance, security: Ewald’s History of the Welfare State Melinda Cooper Publicly Available Download PDF	xiii
PART I. The History of Responsibility
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1 Civil Law Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	5
2 Security and Liberty Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	30
3 Noblesse Oblige Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	47
PART II. Universal Insurance against Risk
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	73
4 Average and Perfection Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	77
5 An Art of Combinations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	96
6 Universal Politics Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	115
PART III. The Recognition of Professional Risk
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	137
7 Charitable Profit Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	141
8 Security and Responsibility Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	165
9 First and Foremost, a Political Law Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	181
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	223
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	251
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	264

Language: English
Publisher: Duke University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 304

eBook

Published: May 8, 2020
ISBN: 9781478009214