Sexual Crime, Religion and Masculinity in fin-de-siècle France

Beschreibung

This book explores a vital though long-neglected clash between republicans and Catholics that rocked fin-de-siècle France. At its heart was a mysterious and shocking crime. In Lille in 1899, the body of twelve-year-old Gaston Foveaux was discovered in a school run by a Catholic congregation, the Frères des Écoles Chrétiennes. When his teacher, Frère Flamidien, was charged with sexual assault and murder, a local crime became a national scandal.  The Flamidien Affair shows that masculinity was a critical site of contest in the War of Two Frances pitting republicans against Catholics. For republicans, Flamidien’s vow of chastity as well as his overwrought behaviour during the investigation made him the target of suspicion; Catholics in turn constructed a rival vision of masculinity to exonerate the accused brother. Both sides drew on the Dreyfus Affair to make their case. 
This book explores a vital though long-neglected clash between republicans and Catholics that rocked fin-de-siècle France. At its heart was a mysterious and shocking crime. In Lille in 1899, the body of twelve-year-old Gaston Foveaux was discovered in a school run by a Catholic congregation, the Frères des Écoles Chrétiennes. When his teacher, Frère Flamidien, was charged with sexual assault and murder, a local crime became a national scandal.  The Flamidien Affair shows that masculinity was a critical site of contest in the War of Two Frances pitting republicans against Catholics. For republicans, Flamidien’s vow of chastity as well as his overwrought behaviour during the investigation made him the target of suspicion; Catholics in turn constructed a rival vision of masculinity to exonerate the accused brother. Both sides drew on the Dreyfus Affair to make their case. 

Explores the political culture of fin-de-siècle France through an examination of a notorious crime and its aftermath in 1899 Utilises a mass of archival records illuminating the nature of masculinity, the power of the popular press and understandings of sexual perversion Demonstrates the role of sexual crime in driving the republican attack on the Catholic Church

Autor*in

Timothy Verhoeven

Themen in »Sexual Crime, Religion and Masculinity in fin-de-siècle France«

Dreyfus Affair War of Two Frances Third Republic French republicans Frères des Écoles Chrétiennes gender and sexuality

Stimmen zu »Sexual Crime, Religion and Masculinity in fin-de-siècle France«

“Verhoeven’s judicious, rich scholarship beautifully recreates the debates and animosities … This book will interest non-specialists, undergraduate and graduate students, and professors of history, French cultural studies, criminology, sexuality, and gender studies.” (Sharon P. Johnson, French Studies, Vol. 73 (2), April, 2019)

“Verhoeven … showcase the continuing need for scholars to more fully integrate gender into their work, but also the need for historians of gender and sexuality to pay closer attention to religion. I highly recommend this book not only to gender historians, but also to anyone interested in the political and cultural history of the early French Third Republic.” (Andrew Israel Ross, French History, April 02, 2019)

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