FRANÇOIS
BÉDARIDA
François
Bédarida died at the age of 75 on September 16,
2001, at Fontaine-le-Port, near Paris. During the last
10 years of his life he was a tireless advocate for
the ideals of the International Committee of Historical
Sciences. His remarkably multifaceted career was characterized
by a rare and steadfast commitment to his vision of
history and of the role of historians, a commitment
which bore the stamp of scientific, moral, and civic
concerns. Starting out as a historian of Victorian England,
he then directed his efforts to the study of 20th-century
France. As he worked on the dark period of French history
that was World War II he came to advocate the social
and scientific responsibilities of the historian. Convinced
of the need to “historicize the Resistance”
and led by his strong belief in the necessity of telling
the truth, he never hesitated to use the critical tools
of history to confront the various memories of that
period. Mr. Bédarida was involved in controversy—the
Touvier affair, among others. He testified in court
as a historian, and the scientific community benefited
from his experience as he increasingly focussed on epistemological
questions such as the historian’s social, moral
and civic responsibilities, and as he highlighted the
fundamental importance of the history-memory relationship
for historical knowledge.
Born
on March 14, 1926 in Lyon, the son of an academic, François
Bédarida moved to Paris with his parents as a
youth and completed his studies there. After attending
the Montaigne, Louis-le-Grand and Henri IV lycées,
he joined clandestine Resistance groups. It was during
that time that he met the love of his life, Renée
Mély, in 1943. They married in 1949. His deeply
held faith led him to the "Témoignage Chrétien"
movement to which he gave a commitment that would never
falter throughout the course of his life. He graduated
(agrégation) from the École normale supérieure
in 1949.
His
career began in Marseille, where he taught briefly at
Lycée Thiers, but before long he was bound for
the United Kingdom. After teaching in the U.K. at the
Institut français from 1950 to 1956 and working
as a research associate at the CNRS from 1956 to 1959,
he became an assistant professor of modern and contemporary
history at La Sorbonne (1961-1966). In 1966 Mr. Bédarida
returned to Great Britain and received a Master of Arts
degree from Oxford. He managed la Maison française
from 1966 to 1970, and, he became an acclaimed specialist
of 19th-century British history, publishing some notable
works.
As
Maître de conférences at the Institut d’études
politiques de Paris from 1971 to 1978, he studied the
history of contemporary French society and founded the
Institut d’histoire du Temps présent. He
was the Institut’s first director, serving from
1978 to 1990. He used this platform to promote work
on the history of wartime France, and devoted his own
research entirely to the subject. The work he accomplished,
whether alone or collaboratively, advanced the knowledge
of that period and produced publications which had a
significant impact on French historiography. Professor
Bédarida was named Directeur de recherches of
the CNRS in 1979, and then Emeritus Research Director
in 1995. Towards the end of his career he returned to
his earlier interests and in 1999 he published an outstanding
biography of Churchill. In 2001 he edited, together
with his wife, Renée Bédarida, La
résistance spirituelle 1941-1944, Les
Cahiers clandestins de Témoignage chrétien.
In
1990, he became Secretary General of the International
Committee of Historical Sciences. He tackled his new
duties with his usual enthusiasm, vigour and generosity
of spirit, drawing on his scientific abilities, his
considerable historical culture, and on his knowledge
of the historical profession. He worked relentlessly
to modernize the ICHS and the workings of its international
congresses. As the International Committee’s life
force he expended his energy on all fronts, from his
duties as Secretary General to those of architect of
one of the Congress’s major themes. He worked
at getting the ICHS to adopt a world-wide perspective
and was the editor of a special issue of Diogène
on the historian’s social responsibility. His
deep conviction of the soundness of the ICHS’s
core values fuelled his tireless advocacy of international
cooperation and of the establishment of a scientific
exchange network in which all countries would receive
equitable treatment. For 10 years he was the lifeblood
of the ICHS, providing members with food for thought
by the rich, detailed reports he read at each general
assembly and by his efforts to focus the ICHS’s
initiatives on developing history as a profession and
fostering openness to the world. Professor Bédarida’s
passion for studying the relationship between history
and memory, coupled with his conviction that both factors
exert an influence on the life of organizations, led
him to examine the history of the ICHS, uncover archives,
and interview a former secretary general about the history
of the Committee’s first half century. He published
his findings in the ICHS Bulletin between 1992 and 2000.
His integrity, his deep sense of responsibility and
his exacting professional conscience are in large part
responsible for the good health of the ICHS and for
the success of the 1995 Montreal and 2000 Oslo Congresses.
Professor Bédarida’s last report on his
ten years as Secretary General, which was read during
the 2000 Congress and published in the Bulletin (2001),
is a profound and stimulating assessment that the entire
ICHS might consider his final legacy. May the ICHS find
inspiration in this document for years to come!
Francois
Bédarida was remarkable for his unshaken faith
in the historian’s work and his respect of certain
fundamental moral values. He was a Chevalier of the
Légion d’Honneur and an Officer of l’Ordre
national du mérite. He is survived by his wife
and three children.
Jean-Claude Robert
