- Hardcover: 344 pages
- Publisher: University of California Press (22 April 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0520241800
- ISBN-13: 978-0520241800
- Product Dimensions: 22.8 x 15.6 x 3.2 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,781,323 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
In this age of globalization, the eighteenth-century priest and abolitionist Henri Gregoire has often been called a man ahead of his time. An icon of anti racism, a hero to people from Ho Chi Minh to French Jews, Gregoire has been particularly celebrated since 1989, when the French government placed him in the Pantheon as a model of ideals of universalism and human rights. In this beautifully written biography, based on newly discovered and previously overlooked material, we gain access for the first time to the full complexity of Gregoire's intellectual and political universe as well as the compelling nature of his persona. His life offers an extraordinary vantage from which to view large issues in European and world history in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and provides provocative insights into many of the prevailing tensions, ideals, and paradoxes of the twenty-first century. Focusing on Gregoire's idea of 'regeneration', that people could literally be made anew, Sepinwall argues that revolutionary universalism was more complicated than it appeared. Tracing the Revolution's long-term legacy, she suggests that while it spread concepts of equality and liberation throughout the world, its ideals also helped to justify colonialism and conquest.
About the Author
Alyssa Goldstein Sepinwall is Associate Professor of History at California State University, San Marcos.
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4.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Relevant history for all times and places, 18 Oct 2006
By J.S. Bell - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Abbe Gregoire and the French Revolution: The Making of Modern Universalism (Hardcover)
Superbly written and extremely well-researched, Sepinwall's book examines an interesting and somewhat unusual figure from the period of the French Revolution. Virtually unknown in the US, the Abbe Gregoire remains somewhat of a hero in, of all places, Haiti. As a comparitively liberal clergyman, Gregoire supported unpopular goals, even for the French revolutionaries, including rights for women, blacks and Jews. However, Sepinwall skillfully describes and explains the many contradictions in his beliefs including the idea that the previously mentioned groups were in some ways inferior to the white, Christian male. Unlike many of his peers, on the other hand, Gregoire also believed that women and minorities were not genetically or inherently inferior, but could be "brought up" to the level of French Christian males through conversion and education. His support for the Haitian Revolution also showed that he bravely followed his convictions despite the unpopularity of the causes. Sepinwall's book does not only follow the life of a great, but virtually unheard of man, it also examines the French Revolution from the points of view of women and minority groups that have been generally ignored by other French historians until recently. Also important, Sepinwall provides some background to the Haitian Revolution, which helps American readers to better understand that country's history and how it was unable to develop despite its democratic goals and values. Sepinwall's Gregoire is both a man of his times and a man who transcends time in that he is saddled with many of the preconceived notions of race, religion and womanhood, yet was not afraid to think and speak for himself and against the norm if he felt injustice was being done, often at risk of his own life. Alyssa Sepinwall's book about the Abbe Gregoire teaches us much about our history, but it tells us even more about ourselves, our times, and what it means to be a 'great' person. Though Dr. Sepinwall is a professor of Modern French History who generally writes for an academic audience, this is one of the few scholarly books that is very readable and accessible to the general public. Therefore, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in history, biographies, or just a really good read.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great addition to the literature of the French Revolution, 14 Dec 2006
By Lehigh History Student - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Abbe Gregoire and the French Revolution: The Making of Modern Universalism (Hardcover)
The Abbe Gregiore is one of the most controversial figures in the French revolution. He was an ardent revolutionary and argued viciously against the continuation of slavery. His ideals were tied with the Caribbean and what happened domestically in France. For those looking for a book that will help explains the problems of the enlightenment and how they relate to the French revolution this is a good place to start. This is not a book for beginners and some knowledge of the Caribbean and the French Revolution are necessary. Sepinwall also adds an interesting idea on what biography should be although falls back into her own trap by the end of the book. For those studying the French Revolution this is a great book to add.
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