Pierre Denis: Français Libre et Citoyen du Monde
2
sultan in 1914), the real crux of the matter was the establishment of a legislative structure in 1923 with a lower chamber based on male suffrage. Meanwhile, to equate the powerful, conservative monar- chy solely with Britain’s imperial interests, notes Whidden astutely, would be to mistakenly adopt the ideological vision of republican- inclined nationalists. King Fuad was, indeed, a wily actor in his own right and anything but a mere instrument of the British. In examining the impact of this neo-colonial settlement across the whole book, Whidden draws upon the British Foreign Office’s general political series, FO 371. Highly illuminating FO 141 files, which emanated from the Cairo residency (the High Commission after 1936), are not, with the exception of the odd citation, utilized here. In the chapter specifically about neo-colonialism, Whidden is again far stronger on the 1920s than the 1930s. Indeed, the momentous Sidqi administration of June 1930 to September 1933, which replaced the constitution of 1923 with one which was much more autocratic in tone, is only treated in half a sentence in the chapter on neo-colonialism and half a paragraph in the earlier chapter on historical context. The absence of a constitution at all in 1935 is fleetingly touched upon, as is the rise of student unrest in that year. Meanwhile, the aforementioned Defence Treatydwhich did more than anything else to destabilize the 1923 settlement in the interwar perioddis dealt with in a perfunctory way. Oddly, one source not referenced despite its presence in the bibliography is M.E. Yapp’s Politics and Diplomacy in Egypt: The Diaries of Sir Miles Lampson 1935e37 (1997) which contains a notably judicious introduction to the Egyptian political scene and the role of the British therein. Clearly, none of these criticisms of Whidden’s coverage of the 1930s would have been remotely valid had his book confined itself to the mid-1920s, as hinted at in the introduction. In short, Mon- archy and Modernity is a valuable source for anyone seeking a better understanding of Egypt’s indigenous ideological and political struggles immediately following the promulgation of the 1923 constitution. Michael Thornhill Boston University in London, UK http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhg.2014.08.024 Philippe Oulmont, Pierre Denis: Français Libre et Citoyen du Monde. Paris, Nouveau Monde, 2012, 478 pages, V25 paperback. Only a handful of contributors to the Géographie Universelle (1927e1948), conceived by Paul Vidal de La Blache and the Armand Colin publishing firm, did not proceed to professorial careers in French universities. This tiny group of ‘outsiders’ included Pierre Denis (1883e1951) whose life path began with scholarly work but moved into international organization, high finance, and politics. Combining evidence from family papers, interviews with surviving relatives, and information from archives in France, England, Switzerland, and the United States, historian Philippe Oulmont provides a full and detailed account of each phase in the life of this remarkable man. Pierre was the first of ten children born to Ernest and Marguerite Denis. In 1883, Ernest was professor of history at the University of Grenoble but was then promoted to Bordeaux and later to the Sor- bonne in Paris. He was a serious, hard-working Protestant, whose modest character provided a model for his son. Pierre excelled at school and became fluent in German, English, Spanish, and Portuguese. He passed the extremely demanding examination to study with the nation’s intellectual elite at the Ecole Normale Supérieure and the Sorbonne, taking a combined degree in history and geography. He was particularly fascinated by the ‘new geography’ taught by Vidal and his disciples. On the strength of examination re- sults and academic promise, he was awarded an around-the-world travel scholarship in 1906, funded by the banker Albert Kahn. Soon afterwards, he married Jeanne Hatin who accompanied him to Italy and North Africa. Kahn’s benefaction supported Pierre for two years, and, in the summer of 1907, he set sail for the Americas, where he travelled through Brazil, Argentina, the Caribbean islands, and the United States. His powers of observation, assimilation and expression greatly impressed Vidal who accepted several of his articles and notes for the Annales de Géographie, invited him to contribute a volume on South America for the Géographie Universelle, and encouraged him to write a book on Brazil (Le Brésil au XXe Siècle, 1909). Pierre taught in Washington, D.C. and then in provincial France, but in 1910 he declined an attractive offer from Kahn to manage his ‘Archives de la Planète’ project. Geographer Jean Brunhes accepted that post and was further rewarded by a professorial chair that Kahn funded at the Collège de France in Paris. Early in 1912, Pierre and his family sailed to Buenos Aires where he delivered lectures and began doctoral research on the economic development of Argentina. His fieldwork was cut short by the outbreak of World War I and the family returned to France. After enlisting in the army, Pierre’s skills were put to use in the French intelligence service on the Eastern Front. Following demobilization in 1919, he considered returning to Argentina but was summoned to work with Jean Monnet on eco- nomic aspects of the peace treaty. He then accepted a senior lectureship at the University of Strasbourg but immediately turned down this post for a job with the League of Nations in London. Pierre’s boundless energy and dedication to work enabled him to complete his doctorate: published as La République Argentine. La Mise en Valeur du Pays (1920). Continuing employment with the League of Nations took him and his family to Geneva, where he produced new scholarly material, including an article on the division of Silesia. He was, of course, also committed to the Géographie Uni- verselle. His contribution on L’Amérique du Sud, published in 1927, ran to 480 pages and drew on his visits to Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Peru as well as two decades of reading. At this time, he decided on another career change that took him into international banking alongside Monnet and René Pleven. Pierre retained his geographical interests and gave three lectures at the London School of Economics at the request of Mackinder. During the 1930s, he travelled the world as a representative of various banks and finance houses, as well as an emissary of the League of Nations. Family holidays were spent on a farm that he purchased in south-west France, where working the soil gave him enjoyment and mental relaxation. As World War II threatened in 1939, Pierre joined Monnet on the Franco-British committee for economic coordination, and, in 1940, moved to London to work alongside Monnet and Pleven in the cause of the Free French. His wife and children remained in France throughout the war. For four years he headed the financial service of the Free French and made many visits to French territories in Africa and the Middle East, working in close contact with General de Gaulle. In 1945, his role in London came to an end and he rejoined his family in France. During the rest of his life, he advised Monnet on economic planning, served as director of several financial organi- zations, and wrote three volumes of autobiography. His geographical interests faded into the past. The certificate issued at his death in Paris on 28 July1951, cited his profession as ‘company director’. Philippe Oulmont presents Pierre Denis as a man of great intel- ligence and administrative capability, who worked unceasingly hard for his discipline, his employers, and his country. Like his father, he Reviews / Journal of Historical Geography 46 (2014) 113e136 126
Transcript of Pierre Denis: Français Libre et Citoyen du Monde
Reviews / Journal of Historical Geography 46 (2014) 113e136126
sultan in 1914), the real crux of the matter was the establishment ofa legislative structure in 1923 with a lower chamber based on malesuffrage. Meanwhile, to equate the powerful, conservative monar-chy solely with Britain’s imperial interests, notes Whidden astutely,would be to mistakenly adopt the ideological vision of republican-inclined nationalists. King Fuad was, indeed, a wily actor in his ownright and anything but a mere instrument of the British.
In examining the impact of this neo-colonial settlement acrossthe whole book, Whidden draws upon the British Foreign Office’sgeneral political series, FO 371. Highly illuminating FO 141 files,which emanated from the Cairo residency (the High Commissionafter 1936), are not, with the exception of the odd citation, utilizedhere. In the chapter specifically about neo-colonialism, Whidden isagain far stronger on the 1920s than the 1930s. Indeed, themomentous Sidqi administration of June 1930 to September 1933,which replaced the constitution of 1923 with one which was muchmore autocratic in tone, is only treated in half a sentence in thechapter on neo-colonialism and half a paragraph in the earlierchapter on historical context. The absence of a constitution at all in1935 is fleetingly touched upon, as is the rise of student unrest inthat year. Meanwhile, the aforementioned Defence Treatydwhichdid more than anything else to destabilize the 1923 settlement inthe interwar perioddis dealt with in a perfunctory way. Oddly, onesource not referenced despite its presence in the bibliography isM.E. Yapp’s Politics and Diplomacy in Egypt: The Diaries of Sir MilesLampson 1935e37 (1997) which contains a notably judiciousintroduction to the Egyptian political scene and the role of theBritish therein.
Clearly, none of these criticisms of Whidden’s coverage of the1930s would have been remotely valid had his book confined itselfto the mid-1920s, as hinted at in the introduction. In short, Mon-archy and Modernity is a valuable source for anyone seeking a betterunderstanding of Egypt’s indigenous ideological and politicalstruggles immediately following the promulgation of the 1923constitution.
Michael ThornhillBoston University in London, UK
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhg.2014.08.024
Philippe Oulmont, Pierre Denis: Français Libre et Citoyen du Monde.Paris, Nouveau Monde, 2012, 478 pages, V25 paperback.
Only a handful of contributors to the Géographie Universelle(1927e1948), conceived by Paul Vidal de La Blache and the ArmandColin publishing firm, did not proceed to professorial careers inFrench universities. This tiny group of ‘outsiders’ included PierreDenis (1883e1951) whose life path began with scholarly work butmoved into international organization, high finance, and politics.Combining evidence from family papers, interviews with survivingrelatives, and information from archives in France, England,Switzerland, and the United States, historian Philippe Oulmontprovides a full and detailed account of each phase in the life of thisremarkable man.
Pierre was the first of ten children born to Ernest and MargueriteDenis. In 1883, Ernest was professor of history at the University ofGrenoble but was then promoted to Bordeaux and later to the Sor-bonne in Paris. He was a serious, hard-working Protestant, whosemodest character provided a model for his son. Pierre excelled atschool and became fluent in German, English, Spanish, and
Portuguese. He passed the extremely demanding examination tostudy with the nation’s intellectual elite at the Ecole NormaleSupérieure and the Sorbonne, taking a combined degree in historyandgeography.Hewasparticularly fascinated by the ‘newgeography’taught by Vidal and his disciples. On the strength of examination re-sults and academic promise, he was awarded an around-the-worldtravel scholarship in 1906, funded by the banker Albert Kahn. Soonafterwards, he married Jeanne Hatin who accompanied him to Italyand North Africa. Kahn’s benefaction supported Pierre for two years,and, in the summer of 1907, he set sail for the Americas, where hetravelled through Brazil, Argentina, the Caribbean islands, and theUnited States. His powers of observation, assimilation and expressiongreatly impressedVidalwho accepted several of his articles andnotesfor the Annales de Géographie, invited him to contribute a volume onSouth America for the Géographie Universelle, and encouraged him towrite a book on Brazil (Le Brésil au XXe Siècle, 1909).
Pierre taught in Washington, D.C. and then in provincial France,but in 1910 he declined an attractive offer from Kahn to manage his‘Archives de la Planète’ project. Geographer Jean Brunhes acceptedthat post andwas further rewarded bya professorial chair that Kahnfunded at the Collège de France in Paris. Early in 1912, Pierre and hisfamily sailed to Buenos Aireswhere he delivered lectures and begandoctoral research on the economic development of Argentina. Hisfieldwork was cut short by the outbreak of World War I and thefamily returned to France. After enlisting in the army, Pierre’s skillswere put to use in the French intelligence service on the EasternFront. Following demobilization in 1919, he considered returning toArgentina but was summoned to work with Jean Monnet on eco-nomic aspects of the peace treaty. He then accepted a seniorlectureship at the University of Strasbourg but immediately turneddown this post for a job with the League of Nations in London.
Pierre’s boundless energy and dedication towork enabled him tocomplete his doctorate: published as La République Argentine. LaMise en Valeur du Pays (1920). Continuing employment with theLeague of Nations took him and his family to Geneva, where heproducednewscholarlymaterial, including anarticle on thedivisionof Silesia. He was, of course, also committed to the Géographie Uni-verselle. His contribution on L’Amérique du Sud, published in 1927,ran to480pagesanddrewonhis visits toBrazil, Argentina, Chile, andPeru as well as two decades of reading. At this time, he decided onanother career change that took him into international bankingalongsideMonnet and René Pleven. Pierre retained his geographicalinterests and gave three lectures at the London School of Economicsat the request ofMackinder. During the1930s, he travelled theworldas a representative of various banks andfinancehouses, aswell as anemissary of the League of Nations. Family holidays were spent on afarm that he purchased in south-west France, where working thesoil gave him enjoyment and mental relaxation.
AsWorldWar II threatened in 1939, Pierre joinedMonnet on theFranco-British committee for economic coordination, and, in 1940,moved to London towork alongsideMonnet and Pleven in the causeof the Free French. His wife and children remained in Francethroughout thewar. For four years he headed the financial service ofthe Free French and made many visits to French territories in Africaand the Middle East, working in close contact with General deGaulle. In 1945, his role in London came toan endandhe rejoinedhisfamily in France. During the rest of his life, he advised Monnet oneconomic planning, served as director of several financial organi-zations, andwrote threevolumesof autobiography.His geographicalinterests faded into the past. The certificate issued at his death inParis on 28 July 1951, cited his profession as ‘company director’.
Philippe Oulmont presents Pierre Denis as a man of great intel-ligence andadministrative capability,whoworkedunceasingly hardfor his discipline, his employers, and his country. Like his father, he
Reviews / Journal of Historical Geography 46 (2014) 113e136 127
was tactful, discreet, and full of good sense. His opinions werevalued, and he could be counted upon to acquit himself to the verybest of his ability, even if this meant sacrificing family life throughprolonged physical separation and countless evenings spent draft-ing academic material and confidential reports. During the war, hesent few letters to hiswife and children, claiming that hehad little toshare with them apart from his love. This was doubtless anexpression of the confidential nature of his work and his personalreserve. Perhaps this shy, self-effacingmanwas simply being true tohimself when he rejected Kahn’s offer and the teaching post inStrasbourg. Certainly his geographical writing on Brazil andArgentinawas pioneeringwork. Philippe Oulmont’smeticulous andsympathetic biography ensures that Pierre DenisdFree Frenchman,citizen of the world, and geographerdis not forgotten.
Hugh CloutUniversity College London, UK
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhg.2014.08.002
Patrick J. Duffy and William Nolan (Eds), At the Anvil: Essays inHonour of William J. Smyth. Dublin, Geography Publications, 2012,xxvi þ 784 pages, V45 hardcover.
Senior historical geographers in Ireland have been very well servedby festschriften produced by their colleagues when they passretirement age, as testified by the testimonial books dedicated toEstyn Evans, Tom Jones Hughes, John Andrews, and Anngret Simms,among others. At the Anvil: Essays in Honour of William J. Smyth,edited by Patrick J. Duffy and William Nolan, continues this admi-rable tradition in the form of a massive tome that weighs in at justover 1800 grams (4 lbs), and comprises nearly 800 pages ofresearch outcomes evidenced by two generations of scholarsworking on Irish historical geography. The title of the book isslightly odd, but was chosen, as Patrick Duffy tells us in his intro-duction (p. xxi), to reference ‘a frequently-occurring metaphor inWillie Smyth’s writing: “forging” and “shaping” have been favouritephrases in his geographical lexicon’.
This cornucopia of tributes to the work and influence of WillieSmyth, Professor of Geography at University College, Cork, con-tains many significant themes and questions about Ireland’s past.They include, after forewords from the late Tom Jones Hughes andfrom Donald Meinig, and important and informative biographicaland contextual chapters from Patrick Duffy, William Nolan, andConnell and Ronan Foley, chapters by Matthew Stout and MarkHennessey on early medieval Ireland, Stout specifically on con-trasts between ecclesiastical and secular settlements as evidencedon maps based on the Monasticum Hibernicum database, andHennessey on regional wealth indicators using the Lay Subsidy of1292, alongside Francis Ludlow’s skilled analysis of extremeweather events as recorded in the Irish Annals. Further chaptersreview and illustrate the use of particular data sources, includinghistorical maps. In this category, in addition to those alreadymentioned, may be included the essays by Annaleigh Margey onthe 1641 depositions and the Plantation society in Armagh, ArnoldHorner on the use of Civil Survey data to reconstruct geographiesof building types in county Dublin, Anngret Simms on themorphology of provincial towns in Ireland, John Andrews and K.J.Rankin on William Petty, cartographer, Patrick Nugent on thetransplantation scheme 1653e1657, Patrick Duffy on the con-struction of a geographical archive in nineteenth-century Ireland,
and Proinnseas Breathnach on the spread of creameries in Irelandfrom 1886 to 1920.
Ireland and the Irish overseas is a significant theme addressed inthe book, evidenced in chapters by John Mannion on Lord Balti-more, by Patrick O’ Flanagan on W.G. Bowles, geographer andnatural scientist in seventeenth-century Spain, William Jenkins ondocumenting and representing Toronto’s Catholic Irish, 1845e1890,and L.J. Proudfoot on ‘Being Irish in the Antipodes in the nineteenthcentury’. Denis Linehan also examines imaginatively the images ofAfrica projected in Ireland by Irish Catholic missions.
Critical issues of Irish identities and regional characteristics, andcontemporary social and political issues, include those analysed byGerry Kearns on The Nation newspaper and the movement for therepeal of the Union, Mary Kelly on Somerville and Ross’s The R. M.book series, David Butler on Southern Irish Protestant nationalismsince 1920, Brian Graham and Catherine Nash on the Irish border-lands and Joseph Ruane on Ireland’s ethno-religious conflicts.
Robert Dodgshon, in a chapter on ‘The Atlantic ends of Europerevisited’, and Kevin Whelan on ‘Clachans, landscape and life inIreland before and after the Famine’, effectively question andpartially replace long-held notions, including that of the ‘Atlanticends’ of Europe, about Irish cultural provinces and their landscapeand landholding characteristics. The subject of land grabbing in anIrish and wider global context is evaluated by David Nally, and alsoin a chapter on colonial governmentality in earlymodern Ireland byJohn Morrissey. Denis Pringle writes on Ireland’s epidemiologicaltransition, Catherine Delaney, Robert Devoy, and Simon Jenningsdeal with mid- to late-Holocene sea levels and sedimentation inSouth-West Ireland, and the penultimate chapter is by Anne But-timer on symbols of the sacred in nature. Patrick O’Connor haswritten a poem, ‘Cartophilia’, which appears at the end of the book,as does David Butler’s epilogue, and a bibliography of WillieSmyth’s writings by David Butler.
This is a substantial and most satisfactory and rewarding fest-schrift. It is very well illustrated with maps, diagrams, and somephotographs, many in colour. All are useful aids to the text, apartfrom a small number that have been reproduced at too small a scaleto be entirely legible. The quality of scholarship involved is of a highorder, and the topics, material, and ideas used have been carefullythought out and displayed. No particular set of theoretical contextshas been laid out for contributors to follow, and there is in fact agood range of theoretical and practical positions adopted by indi-vidual authors. The important early work on the historical geog-raphy of Ireland (Evans, Jones Hughes, and Freeman, for example) isrespected and valued, and not laid aside as a strategically forget-table inconvenience. A common theme in this volume, reflectingthe focus of much of Willie Smyth’s research and writings, is thequestion of Ireland as a colony with focus on related processes ofcolonization and de-colonization, territorial and land appropria-tion, and ethnic and religious interactions. Some authors focusmore on empirical matters, others relate more strongly on theo-retical positions informed by the work of Foucault, Said, and Hab-ermas, and by post-colonial perspectives more generally.Intellectual and historiographic contexts of the research questionsreviewed are generally well set out, though from time to time moreinformation might have been provided, including perhaps addi-tional material on the broader history of geographical thought andpractice in Ireland, and the role, for example, of the GeographicalSociety of Ireland, of which Willie Smyth was president for a shorttime.
In conclusion, this is a work which illustrates and exemplifieschanges in research on the historical geography of Ireland over thelast fifty-or-so years, but with greater evidence on the period sincethe early twenty-first century and appropriate emphasis on the
