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Les Écrits Politiques D'olympe De Gouges Ou Les Lumières En Héritage

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Les Écrits Politiques D'olympe De Gouges Ou Les Lumières En Héritage Penser la sollicitude : les Écrits politiques d’Olympe de Gouges ou les Lumières en héritage (1788-1791) Mémoire Claire Sinquin Maîtrise en études littéraires Maître ès arts (M.A.) Québec, Canada © Claire Sinquin, 2017 Penser la sollicitude : les Écrits politiques d’Olympe de Gouges ou les Lumières en héritage (1788-1791) Mémoire Claire Sinquin Sous la direction de : Thierry Belleguic, directeur de recherche Charlène Deharbe, codirectrice de recherche Résumé Le Siècle des Lumières a produit un grand nombre de bouleversements, non seulement dans le domaine politique, mais aussi les domaines économiques et sociaux. C’est dans ce contexte qu’Olympe de Gouges marque l’histoire. Par le biais de lettres, brochures, articles ou encore affiches placardées, Olympe de Gouges a cherché à influencer non seulement les institutions mais aussi l’opinion publique. En commençant par la dramaturgie, elle s’engage aux côtés des abolitionnistes de l’esclavage et lutte pour l’évolution des mœurs. Elle se consacre ensuite à ses écrits pamphlétaires dans lesquels elle plaide pour la cause des plus démunis et pour le partage des richesses. Son avant-gardisme tient encore dans le fait qu’elle remet en question la place et le rôle des femmes dans la vie de la cité. Aujourd’hui, sa posture humaniste résonne d’une contemporanéité aiguë, alors que ne cessent de se multiplier les exemples d’un capitalisme qui accroît le fossé entre les nantis et les démunis. Dès lors, l’engagement d’Olympe de Gouges apparaît comme un support idéel envisageable de la composition archéologique de la pensée des communs. Ce courant philosophique et politique actuel prône en effet l’organisation concertée de l’usage des ressources, de sorte que la responsabilisation des individus, co-acteurs de leur présent et de leur devenir, assure l’équité et la pérennité de cet usage. Au cœur du mouvement des communs réside le souci du vivre-ensemble, ce qui implique une refonte des institutions et des modes de vie. En ce sens, la posture d’Olympe de Gouges préfigure l’éthique du care (le prendre soin, le souci de l’autre) et, de fait, la prise en compte des spécificités de chacun, le respect d’autrui et des genres, implicitement inclus dans le mouvement des communs. Malmenée par l’historiographie, Olympe de Gouges est peu mentionnée dans les ouvrages consacrés à l’histoire de la République des Lettres. Par conséquent, notre travail se situe dans une démarche d’actualité de manière à ce que la postérité de ses idées progressistes contribue à imaginer et à bâtir la société à venir. Mots-clés : Olympe de Gouges, Siècle des Lumières, éthique du care, philosophie des communs, abolition de l’esclavage, monarchie constitutionnelle, presse, théâtre, féminisme. iii Abstract The Age of Enlightenment has produced a great deal of upheaval, not only in the political sphere, but also in the economic and social spheres. It is in this context that Olympe de Gouges marks the history. By means of letters, pamphlets, articles or placarded posters, Olympe de Gouges sought to influence not only the institutions but also the public opinion. Beginning with dramaturgy, she engages herself with the abolitionists of slavery and struggle for the evolution of morals. Then, she devoted herself to her lampooned writings in which she pleaded for the cause of the most bereft persons and for the sharing of wealth. Its avant-gardism is still due to the fact that it questions the place and the role of women in the city life. Today, its humanist posture echoes with an acute contemporaneity, while the examples of a capitalism which increases the gap between the haves and others multiply. Henceforth, the commitment of Olympe de Gouges appears as an ideal support for the archaeological composition of the thinking of commons. This philosophical and political current advocates the concerted organization of the use of resources, so that the responsibility of individuals, co-actors of their present and their future, ensures the fairness and durability of this use. At the heart of the movement of commons lies the concern for living together, which implies an overhaul of institutions and ways of life. In this sense, the Olympe de Gouges ‘posture prefigures the ethics of care (caring, care for the other) and, in fact, taking into account the specificities of each one, respect for others and genders, implicitly included in the movement of the thinking of commons. Criticized by historiography, Olympe de Gouges is little mentioned in the Republic of Letters ‘history. Consequently, our work is based on a topical approach so that the posterity of its progressive ideas helps to imagine and build the society to come. Key-words: Olympe de Gouges, Age of Enlightenment, ethic of care, commons ‘philosophy, abolition of slavery, constitutional monarchy, press, theater, feminism. iv Table des matières Résumé .................................................................................................................................................. iii Abstract ................................................................................................................................................. iv Table des matières .................................................................................................................................. v Remerciements ..................................................................................................................................... vii Avant-propos ....................................................................................................................................... viii INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 1 Olympe de Gouges : sentiment de sympathie et morale politique dans les Écrits politiques 1 De la sollicitude : le XVIIIe siècle en héritage ....................................................................... 4 L’éthique du care comme fondement des communs.............................................................. 5 Philosophie des communs, un enjeu politique contemporain ................................................ 6 État de la question .................................................................................................................. 8 Corpus et approche méthodologique ...................................................................................... 9 CHAPITRE I – Olympe de Gouges en son temps ......................................................................... 11 I. 1. Olympe de Gouges : une philosophe des Lumières ............................................................. 12 I. 1. a. Raison et observation ................................................................................................................ 13 I. 1. b. Lutte contre les injustices et les inégalités ................................................................................ 19 I. 1. c. La question de la liberté ............................................................................................................ 23 I. 1. d. De l’utilité de l’honnête-femme ................................................................................................ 25 I. 2. Philosophie morale, sympathie et sollicitude au Siècle des Lumières ................................ 27 I. 2. a. Philosophie morale .................................................................................................................... 28 I. 2. b. Sentiment de sympathie ............................................................................................................ 29 I. 2. c. De la sollicitude ........................................................................................................................ 33 I. 2. d. Philosophie morale, sentiment de sympathie et sollicitude dans les Écrits politiques d’Olympe de Gouges ............................................................................................................................................. 34 CHAPITRE II – Les Écrits politiques d’Olympe de Gouges : une généalogie envisageable pour l’éthique du care ............................................................................................................................. 37 II. 1. De la pensée individuelle à la pensée collective : la morale civile et politique ................. 38 II. 1. a. Le care comme renouvellement de la pensée : du « citoyen » aux « clubs » .......................... 38 II. 1. b. Le care comme renouvellement des idéaux : pouvoir et morale ............................................. 51 II. 2. La parole engagée face à la souffrance d’autrui ................................................................. 58 v II. 2. a. Lien communautaire et institutionnalisation ............................................................................ 59 II. 2. b. Exigence de parole publique ................................................................................................... 61 II. 2. c. Prendre parti............................................................................................................................. 63 II. 2. d. Topiques de la souffrance ........................................................................................................ 65 II. 2. e. L’engagement d’Olympe de Gouges, ou comment porter secours à l’autre ............................ 69 II. 2. f. Cautions de l’engagement : parler et payer .............................................................................
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