Commemorating Jules Michelet, 1876, 1882, 1898: The productivity of banality

Abstract

Between 1870 and 1900 three commemorative events for Jules Michelet took place in France: his burial at the Père Lachaise cemetery in 1876, the unveiling of his monument in 1882 and the national commemoration of his centenary in 1898. The republican historian was thus a major figure in Third Republic memory culture, while he was also considered one of its sources of inspiration. This article examines how throughout successive commemorations Michelet’s legacy was appropriated and popularized by the regime and how this resulted in what can be called a ‘banalizing of memory’. Furthermore, it argues that this banalizing process, despite criticism based on Michelet’s own work, was productive and led to an expansion of the public’s awareness of Michelet. Rather than being a sign of declining memory, banality in some contexts was the most viable option for realizing the aims of a commemoration.