The Contard Affair: Private Power,State Control,and Paternal Authority in Fin‐de‐Siècle France |
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| Authors: | STEPHEN A. TOTH |
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| Affiliation: | I wish to thank Monica Casper, Rachel Fuchs, Sean Quinlan and the anonymous reviewers of the Journal of Historical Sociology for their comments and suggestions on this article. I would also like to express my gratitude to the Franklin Research Grant program of the American Philosophical Society whose financial support made the research for this article possible. Unless otherwise indicated, all translations are my own. |
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| 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. |
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