François Leblond and Renaud Leblond, his son, are the descendants of Henri Boutmy, brother of the founder of Sciences Po, Émile Boutmy. They wrote a biography of the latter,
Émile Boutmy, The father of Sciences Po
(Anne Carrière, 2013).
French Leblond is honorary regional prefect, Renaud Leblond is a journalist and publisher.
Both are graduates of Sciences Po Paris and former lecturers.
Sciences Po is celebrating its 150th anniversary. On January 10, 1872, precisely, the first course of the Free School of Political Science was held. We would rejoice in such a longevity if our institutes of political studies were not threatened by the repeated attacks of the followers of the "culture of erasure" (the "cancel culture") and of a supposed "awakening" of consciousnesses (the Woke movement). The dismissal, at the IEP of Grenoble, of a German professor is the latest example, but the question arises everywhere. The hunt is organized by a small militant minority and the pressure exerted, via social networks, on the leaders of these schools, is very worrying. Denying the past, or even criminalizing it altogether, "deconstructing history" (the new wokists' mantra),above all to oppose any form of debate by aggressively striking down "truths" that only the "awakened" are able to understand... This is to be far removed from, and even the opposite of, the initial project of the École libre of Political Science.
In 150 years, many leaders from around the world have studied at Sciences Po. Despite the horrors caused by totalitarian regimes, the search for the “common good” has progressed. The League of Nations, after the war of 14, the UN after that of 40, set rules that did not exist until then. And it is at Sciences Po, more often than not, that new concepts have been addressed for the first time which have made it possible to limit the risk of conflict, without however completely preventing it. For the 50th anniversary of the National Foundation of Political Sciences, on June 5, 1921, one of the professors, former President of the Council, Alexandre Ribot, reported this sentence heard in Berlin:
"It is the French School of Political Sciences that has won the war !"
. And to add:
“There is undoubtedly exaggeration in these remarks but also a certain basis of truth”.
His thought, his nuanced language, his sense of debate served as a guide to all his successors.
It is thanks to his tenacity that an original teaching has developed, known today throughout the world.
Francois and Renaud Leblond
A man appears in this fight, Émile Boutmy, the founder and director until his death a few years before the war of 14. This 35-year-old journalist, son of one of the two founders of La Presse, surrounded himself with teachers he himself chose for their intellectual value and their freedom from dogma and academicism. He had rules adopted in this “free school” that made it possible to train elites in a new way compared to the past. His thought, his nuanced language, his sense of debate served as a guide to all his successors. It is thanks to his tenacity that an original teaching has developed, known today throughout the world. In its latest presentations, the School clearly claims this heritage:“Sciences Po has kept intact its first ambition, carried by Émile Boutmy: to train free, open minds, capable of understanding the world and transforming it”.
In 1872, when the École Libre des Sciences Politiques was created, France was bruised by the defeat of 1870. The evil was not only military, it was also moral: the loss of Alsace Lorraine was seen as an intolerable attack on the territory's identity. Émile Boutmy, one of the first, denounced this great weakness. Sciences Po was first and foremost about seeking a positive reaction. By creating Sciences Po, he intended, to raise his head, that we train the leaders of tomorrow by developing lessons that had been lacking in previous generations: an overview of everything that constituted the interests of France, both inside and outside, and this in a spirit of dialogue between all the stakeholders.He wanted men aware of their responsibilities and ready to commit themselves in a new way to the service of France. Various points of view could exist within the school - the general interest is something complex and everyone can defend it with different sensitivities - but for Boutmy, the basis of everything was respect for the ideas of the other. . In the brochures of the time, under the heading “advice”, one could read:At the time, under the heading “advice”, one could read:At the time, under the heading “advice”, one could read:
"Regard for the work of others, the observation of propriety are the sole responsibility of the students and we have never had to repent of a confidence which appeals, in each of them, to the feelings of the gallant man and of the well-bred man (…) The affectionate relations between masters and pupils complete their return to the mores of the house”
. One thinks of “method conferences”, a teaching model based on dialogue which has not changed since its creation. And today we salute the commitment of lecturers whose teachings – data, facts, etc. – are checked in real time by students glued to their computers. Teachers who, at the slightest word or comment deemed suspicious, can find themselves crucified on social networks.
His culture allowed him, with his friends, to rely on history – and not to erase it or trample on it… – to define a modern policy.
Francois and Renaud Leblond
Boutmy, too, went through hardships but he triumphed by the quality of his fight.
He wasn't afraid of anyone when he set a course.
His culture allowed him, with his friends, to rely on history – and not to erase it or trample on it… – to define a modern policy.
He used a few principles to motivate his action.
We have re-read some of them which, given the demolition work in progress, are useful to remember.
“The new school wants to make the elite of French youth wiser, wiser, less exposed to being duped by political charlatans”.
“The facts must be skilfully grouped, clearly explained and commented on”.
“We are giving ourselves the means to create a large source of light and to delay the moment when all human association becomes a coterie”.
“All those who express new ideas can intervene within the school to measure their effect on an elite audience. We have to make this ordeal easier for them.”
Boutmy spoke in this respect of the school as a “living room”.
Not to develop the between-oneself but to show that the differences of points of view do not prevent the living together.
Ten years after the creation of Sciences Po, when the School was weathering one of the worst storms of its existence, it was Jules Ferry, Minister of Public Instruction, who, through his intelligence and his will, decided to survival.
Francois and Renaud Leblond
The beginnings of the school were not a calm river.
Boutmy had to fight both against the State, which did not allow such a center of freedom, and against the faculty of law in Paris, which did not understand the usefulness of such an establishment.
During these years, political life experienced periods of great tension: the school was the permanent witness without, however, interfering in day-to-day politics.
His professors contributed to the search for the truth in the Dreyfus affair and concluded that the person concerned was innocent.
They also played a moderating role in the conflict between state and church.
In Sciences Po's teaching staff, an immense majority of men and women are faithful to the ideals expressed by the founder.
Bruised by the attacks suffered by the institution, worried by this culture of effacement, certain researchers and professors have even come together to safeguard the common heritage.
Ten years after the creation of Sciences Po, when the School was weathering one of the worst storms of its existence, it was Jules Ferry, Minister of Public Instruction, who, through his intelligence and his will, decided to survival.
Read also“Why “deconstruction” has become an intellectual impasse”
Today's attacks are more pernicious but just as dangerous for an institution that attracts more foreigners every year and is one of our country's strengths.
In a recent symposium, Jean-Michel Blanquer called, in the face of wokism, for an
“intellectual offensive”.
He clearly laid down the terms of the debate: after deconstruction, let us rebuild science and culture.
One would have thought to hear Boutmy, a day after defeat, 150 years ago.