Abstract
How should we make sense of Henri Bergson’s praise of French colonialism? In this chapter, I examine his 1923 book review in which he claimed that the remedy to Muslim “indolence” was found in European civilization’s energy, effort, and action. Bergson drew not only on his own philosophy to justify the French imperial mission in North Africa. What he described as a “philosophy of colonialism” also took shape in the wider educational context of the French Third Republic. Using school manuals and unpublished letters, I show how Bergson’s early career as a civil servant was spent teaching a curriculum that mobilized the human sciences to rationalize French colonialism.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
