Louise Bienvenue

Louise Bienvenue, « Façonner l’âme d’une nation par l’histoire : La vulgarisation historique, selon Marie-Claire Daveluy (1880-1968) ». Historical Studies in Education / Revue d’histoire de l’éducation, Fall/Autumn2020, p1-26.

In this article, Louise Bienvenue examines a specific aspect of the career of historian and writer Marie-Claire Daveluy (1880-1968), focusing on her role as a “popular educator. An archival enthusiast, Daveluy used many channels to disseminate her historical knowledge to diverse audiences of children and adults (stories, novels, radio programs, magazine articles, commemorative ceremonies). For her, history carried civic virtues and patriotic values, and she insisted, long before academic “women’s history,” on placing women back into the historical narrative. By analyzing Daveluy’s varied contributions, drawing on personal correspondence and letters from female admirers, among others, Bienvenue recalls the importance of Daveluy’s work in popular education and its influence on the formation of the “soul of a nation.”