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The Contard Affair: Private Power, State Control, and Paternal Authority in Fin-de-Siècle France.
- Source :
-
Journal of Historical Sociology . Jun2010, Vol. 23 Issue 2, p185-215. 31p. - Publication Year :
- 2010
-
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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 09521909
- Volume :
- 23
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Historical Sociology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 51126134
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6443.2010.01372.x