Special Topic Article 10 The merchant, the scientist and the citizen The competing approaches of social science education in the French High School Igor Martinache University of Paris Cloé Gobert University of Lille Keywords" Social $cience, citi(en$)ip and civic education, curricular e*olution, France, active peda,o,- % A little more t)an /0 -ear$ a,o, an inte,rated and plurali$tic teac)in, of $ocial $cience$, includin, economic$, 0a$ created in t)e Frenc) l-c1e. % t 0a$ aimed more at trainin, enli,)tened citi(en$ t)an at direct preparation for t)e la2our mar3et. % 4o0ever, t)i$ approac) i$ rapidl- 2ein, called into 5ue$tion, 2ot) 2- certain economic lo22ie$ and 2- $ome univer$it- economi$t$. % T)e current refor. of t)e )i,) $c)ool and t)e 2accalaureate tend$ to confir. t)eir victor-. % 6e-ond t)i$ e7ample, it i$ t)e *er- o2#ective$ of trainin, in and t)rou,) t)e $ocial $cience$ at $c)ool t)at are po$ed. #urpose: T)e ai. of t)i$ article i$ to ,i*e a 2ird8$ e-e vie0 of t)e main i$$ue$ $urroundin, t)e teac)in, of economic and $ocial $cience$ in t)e Frenc) )i,) $c)ool $pproach" T)i$ article i$ 2a$ed a2o*e all on a $-nt)e$i$ of t)e e7i$tin, primar- and $e% condar- literature on Economic and $ocial $cience$ (9$cience$ 1conomi5ue$ et $ociale$:) teac)in, in France and t)e controver$ie$ $urroundin, it. Findings" T)i$ te7t ,i*e$ a ,eneral overvie0 of t)e $ituation of SES teac)in, in France, 2- ,oin, 2ac3 to t)e ori,inal intention$ of it$ aut)or$; 2- anal-$in, curricular development$, 0)ic) $)o0 a pro,re$$ive di$tance fro. t)e.; and finall- 2- )i,)li,)tin, t)e main collective actor$ involved (SES teac)er$ and ot)er nei,)2ourin, di$cipline$, national education )ierarc)-, academic$, political actor$, e.plo-er lo22ie$, etc.). #ractical implications" 6e-ond t)e Frenc) $ituation it pre$ent$, t)i$ article rai$e$ a number of .ore ,eneral 5ue$tion$ a2out t)e o2#ective$ t)at can 2e a$$i,ned to $ocial SSE $cience teac)in, in )i,) $c)ool$, t)e opportunit- to mi7 $e*eral academic di$cipline$ J and t)e peda,o,ical met)od$ t)at can 2e imple.ented. Journal of Social Science Education Vol. 19, No. 1 (2020) DOI 10.4119/#$$e-161' pp. 10-26 <orre$pondin, author: ,or >artinac)e, ?ni*er$ity of @ari$ - Tour Ol-.pe de Aou,e$ - @lace @aul Bicoeur - 75013 @ari$. E%.ail= i,or..artinac)eDu%pari$.fr T)e .erchant, t)e $cienti$t and t)e citizen 11 1 I%T&'()CTI'%" $ C'%T*ST*( HIGH SCH''+ &*F'RM )%(*&,$- T)e teac)in, of $ocial $cience$ at t)e l-c1e in France immediatel- refer$ to t)e di$cipline of economic and $ocial $cience$ ($cience$ 1conomi5ue$ et $ociale$, )ence referred a$ 9SES:), created a little o*er /0 -ear$ a,o and 0)ic) con$titute$ a $pecificit- of t)i$ rat)er centrali$ed educational $-$tem. Several time$ t)reatened 0it) e7tinction, oppo$ition to t)i$ education i$ no0 focused on it$ place in t)e o*erall arc)itecture of $econdar- education, 2ut al$o on it$ content, and in particular on t)e articulation of t)e econo.- 0it) ot)er $ocial $cience$. Suc) de2ate$ )a*e 2een revived 2- t)e late$t refor. of t)e )i,) $c)ool and 2accalaureate, launc)ed under t)e c)airman$)ip of Emmanuel >acron 2- )i$ >ini$ter of Education Jean%>ic)el Blan5uer, 0)ic) led to a teac)er$E $tri3e durin, t)e 2accalaureate e7amination$ for t)e fir$t time in t)e lon, )i$tor- of t)i$ national in$titution created 2- Napoleon (Batta,lia F >orin, 2019). Economic and $ocial $cience teac)er$ 0ere particularl- invol*ed in t)i$ mo2ili(ation, for e7a.ple 2- or,ani(in, a de.on$tration in @ari$ on t)e fir$t da- of t)e te$t$, #oined 2- t)e union$ (A$$ociation de$ profe$$eur$ de SES, 2019). T)e- t)en ma3e demand$ $pecific to t)eir di$cipline, 0)ic) t)e- accuse t)e refor. of Gdi$tortin,G, 2ut al$o more ,eneral critici$. of t)i$ la0, 0)ic) t)e- accuse of increa$in, $ocial ine5ualitie$ 2et0een $tudent$. Even more revealin,, t)e$e teac)er$ critici(e t)e introduction of ne0 interdi$ciplinar- teac)in, t)at ma- put teac)er$ of different $u2#ect$ in t)e $a.e $c)ool in co.petition a$ to 0)o $)ould teac) t)em. A fear t)at doe$ not lac3 foundation$, 2ut 0)ic) $urpri$e$ us 0)en t)e- clai. at t)e $ame time t)e di$ciplinar- cro$$in, in t)eir o0n teac)in,, a,ain$t a tendenc- to $eparate t)e econo.- fro. ot)er $ocial $cience$. T)i$ recent conflict i$ -et anot)er epi$ode in a confrontation a$ old a$ t)e di$cipline it$elf, and 0)ic) rai$e$, e7plicitl- or implicitl-, certain 5ue$tion$ a2out t)e ai.$ of $ocial $cience education for $c)ool-a,e adole$cent$. n order to 2etter under$tand t)e$e a$ 0ell a$ t)e actor$ and po$ition$ invol*ed in t)e$e de2ate$, it i$ important to fir$t revie0 t)e e*entful )i$tor- of t)i$ di$cipline. TH* C&*$TI'% 'F TH* S*S $%( TH* I%ITI$+ 'RI*%T$TI'%S After )avin, 2een e7peri.ented t)e previous -ear in $o.e 200 Hear 11 cla$$e$1, SES teac)in, 0a$ ,enerali(ed at t)e 2e,innin, of t)e 19&' $c)ool -ear under t)e title G ntroduction to economic and $ocial fact$G (9introduction aux faits économiques et sociaux:) a$ part of a more ,lo2al refor. of t)e )i,) $c)ool aimed at moderni$in, it 2- openin, it up to $ociet- and 0idenin, acce$$ to t)e 2accalaureate, and t)us to )i,)er education2 (<)atel, 199C)3. 4o0e*er, t)e *er- e7i$tence of t)e SES i$ t)reatened even 2efore t)eir 2irt), in particular 2- p)ilo$op)- profe$$or$ 0)o con$ider t)at t)e $ocial $cience$ are part of t)e univer$it- and re5uire intellectual in$trument$ t)at p)ilo$op)- teac)in,, taug)t e7clusivel- in t)e final -ear of )i,) $c)ool until toda-, must provide t)e. (<)atel and Aro$$e, 201/, p. 2/). T)e- t)us launc)ed a Gcall for t)e pre$ervation of t)e p)ilo$op)- cla$$G $i,ned in particular 2- prominent intellectual fi,ure$ fro. all political partie$, fro. >ar7i$t p)ilo$op)er Ioui$ Alt)us$er to con$ervative fi,ure Ba-mond Aron, 2ut t)e >ini$ter of Education at t)e time i,nored it. T)e SES t)en )a$ for vocation to en$ure t)e diffu$ion of a Gt)ird cultureG, economic and $ocial, 2et0een t)e cla$$ical art$, 0)ic) ,raduall- lo$e t)eir aura, and t)e $o-called G)ardG $cience$, mat)ematical and p)-$ical, 0)ic) ac5uire on t)e contrar- a ,ro0in, pre$ti,e, openin, t)e door to t)e 2e$t $tudie$. Optional fro. Hear 11 on0ard$, )o0ever, teac)in, i$ placed at t)e )eart of one of t)e / $erie$ 2et0een 0)ic) $tudent$ must c)oo$e at t)e end of t)at $c)ool -ear and )a$ an )ourl- volume of ! )our$ per 0ee3 for -ear$ 11, 12 and 1C. T)e ot)er rea$on for t)e cla$) too3 place 0it)in t)e commi$$ion re$pon$i2le for de$i,nin, t)e fir$t pro,ra.$, 2rin,in, to,et)er academic$ fro. t)e different field$ concerned. T)e economi$t$ and la0-er$ pre$ent con$ider it prefera2le to re$trict t)e $cope of t)e di$cipline to t)e economic $cience alone, 2ut it i$ ultimatel- t)e commi$$ionE$ official$ 0)o impo$e t)eir pro#ect. t i$ not in$i,nificant t)at t)e$e 2elon, to t)e Annale$ $c)ool, a mo*ement founded 2- )i$torian$ Fernand Braudel and Lucien Fe2vre 0it) t)e T)e .erchant, t)e $cienti$t and t)e citizen 12 ai. of decompartmentali(in, t)e $ocial $cience$. A$ $ummari(ed 2- >arcel Bonca-olo, t)e ,eo,rap)er re$pon$i2le for leadin, t)e 0or3 of t)i$ ,roup= GT)e $ocial $cience$ 0ere not intended to 2e *ocational education. T)e oppo$ite of *ocational education it$elf. T)at 0a$ t)e ,oal: to ,ive an education a2out t)e .od% ern 0orld, a2out t)e 0orld in 0)ic) t)e- found t)e.$elve$ % and not #ust t)e 2e$t in our industriali(ed 0orld % to t)e -oun, people 0)o 0ere ,raduatin, fro. )i,) $c)ool. @ut t)e. 2ac3 in t)eir time, not onl- in pa$t )i$torical period$, or even .ore $o in ancient lan,ua,e$.