Presentation

Born March 14 1905, Paris. Died October 17 1983.

Education and professional career

  • 1922 : Baccalauréat
  • 1922-1924 : Khâgne at Lycée Condorcet, Paris
  • 1924-1928 : Studied philosophy at the École normale supérieure in Paris, where he made friends with Jean-Paul Sartre, Paul Nizan and Georges Canguilhem
  • 1928 : Passed the Agrégation in philosophy with flying colors
  • 1928-1930 : Military service at Fort de Saint-Cyr
  • 1930-1931 : Lecturer at the University of Cologne
  • 1931-1933 : Boarder at the Berlin University House
  • 1933-1934 : Teacher at the Lycée du Havre, replacing Jean-Paul Sartre
  • 1934-1939 : Secretary of the Centre de documentation sociale de l'École normale supérieure and professor at the École normale supérieure de Saint-Cloud
  • 1938 : Successfully defended his philosophy thesis
  • 1939 : Elected lecturer in social philosophy at Toulouse University
  • 1939-1940 : Mobilized and posted as sergeant to meteorological station 1 north of Mézières
  • 1940-1944 : Exiled to London, where he met General De Gaulle, joined the Free French Forces and became editor-in-chief of the newspaper La France Libre (London)
  • 1944-1945 : Returns to France. Participates in the creation of the newspaper Les Temps modernes. Becomes Cabinet Director for André Malraux, Minister of Information
  • 1945-1952 : Professor at the École nationale d'Administration de Paris and the Institut d'études politiques de Paris
  • 1946-1947 : Resigned from De Gaulle's government in January 1946. Joined Combat, where he was an editorial writer until June 1947, then Le Figaro , where he remained for 30 years
  • 1955-1968 : Professor of sociology at the Sorbonne
  • 1963 : Elected to the Académie des sciences morales et politiques
  • 1960-1978 : Director of Studies at the École pratique des hautes études (VIe section), then at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales until his retirement. Created the Centre de Sociologie Européenne with Pierre Bourdieu as assistant
  • 1970-1978 : Professor of Sociology of Modern Civilization at the Collège de France. Opening lecture On the historical condition of the sociologist 
  • 1977-1983 : Editorial writer for L'Express

Chair