Podcast Summary

Podcast: Le Cours de l'histoire
Episode: Fou d'histoire : Didier Eribon, retour à l’histoire
Date: February 20, 2026
Host: Xavier Mauduit (France Culture)
Guest: Didier Eribon (philosopher, sociologist, author of Retour à Reims, Sociobiographie)

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode centers on Didier Eribon’s intellectual journey, his pioneering use of “sociobiographie,” and his ongoing engagement with history and social class. Through conversation and audio archives, the episode explores how Eribon's personal narrative intertwines with broader social forces, showcasing the persistent relevance of history in understanding identities, trajectories, and social transformations in France.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Returning to Reims: The Genesis of "Retour à Reims"

• Sociobiographie vs. Autobiography:
  Eribon introduces the concept of “sociobiographie,” blending auto-analysis with sociological and historical inquiry (00:09–01:26).
  • "Retour à Reims, c’était essayer de revenir à ce milieu, de comprendre ce qu’est une classe sociale, les classes ouvrières, l’évolution de cette classe ouvrière." (01:26 — Didier Eribon)
• Personal and Social Distance:
  Eribon describes growing up in a poor, working-class family in Reims before “crossing classes” to enter the intellectual milieu of Paris—then tracing his way back, both personally and analytically (01:26–04:16).
• Class Transfuge and Sexual Identity:
  Discovering his sexuality in a homophobic context compelled Eribon to "invent himself differently" and seek intellectual and personal refuge elsewhere. Literature (notably Marguerite Duras) became a means of distinction and escape (04:37–09:29).
  • "Toute ma vie je vais être victime de cette insulte. D’où mon envie de m’inventer différemment." (06:02 — Didier Eribon)

2. Sociological and Historical Methodologies in Personal Narrative

• Interdisciplinary Approach:
  Eribon emphasizes that understanding his trajectory required history, sociology, and an awareness of mechanisms like school reproduction, sexual stigma, and class mobility (09:29–12:41).
  • He references Erving Goffman (Stigmate), George Chauncey (Gay New York), and Bourdieu’s concept of class transfuge.
  • "On ne peut pas faire une théorie des classes sans faire l’histoire des classes. On ne peut pas faire une théorie de la sexualité sans faire l’histoire de la sexualité." (11:45 — Didier Eribon)

3. Reims as Personal and Collective History

• City as Historical Site:
  Reims’ layered past—cathedral, champagne, devastation in World Wars—shaped not only Eribon's identity, but also his awareness of being "the product of history" (12:41–15:32).
  • "Je suis le produit de l’histoire d’une ville, de l’histoire d’une région, de l’histoire d’un pays et de l’histoire des classes." (13:39 — Didier Eribon)
• Family Memory and Working-Class History:
  While archival memory was largely absent, a form of oral, lived memory persisted—strikes, working-class solidarities, and, later, the shift of working-class voting patterns from the Communist Party to the far right (15:32–20:29).
  • "Pour le Parti communiste, c'était affirmé avec fierté (...). Pour le Front National, c'était d'abord dénié." (19:23 — Didier Eribon)

4. The Deposit of History and Social Unconscious

• Historical Inconscious & Class Habitus:
  Drawing on Bourdieu and Durkheim, Eribon and the interviewer discuss how social history manifests as habits, language, and even unconscious attitudes toward time and future.
  • "Chacun de nous est le produit d’une histoire, une trajectoire individuelle, une histoire individuelle. Mais cette histoire individuelle, elle est évidemment inscrite dans des histoires collectives..." (22:07 — Didier Eribon)
• Language and Exclusion:
  The "linguistic history" of a region and class can enable or block social ascent (23:07–25:32).

5. Philosophy, Structuralism, and Reconciliation of Intellectual Traditions

• From Marx to Sartre to Structuralism:
  Eribon traces his intellectual evolution from Trotskyist activism, through fascination with Sartre's philosophy of history, to engagement with structural thinking via Dumézil and Lévi-Strauss (25:32–33:39).
  • "Je ne peux pas détacher la pensée philosophique d’une réflexion sur l’histoire, c’est-à-dire aussi sur la politique, sur le monde social..." (27:31 — Didier Eribon)
• Interdisciplinary Effervescence:
  Stresses the mutual enrichment of history, sociology, and philosophy in postwar French thought. Foucault, Bourdieu, and others straddled disciplines, blending structuralist and historical methods (38:06–39:17).

6. The Human Side of Intellectual Life; Chance and Failure

• Meetings with Bourdieu, Foucault, and Dumézil:
  Personal anecdotes reveal the human relationships behind major intellectual collaborations—stories of friendship, mentorship, as well as chance encounters shaping careers.
  • "Nous sommes devenus amis, une amitié étroite, complice, qui a duré plus de 20 ans jusqu’à sa mort." (42:32 — Didier Eribon, about Bourdieu)
• Failures and Trajectories:
  Structural barriers, failed exams, and random opportunities (e.g., being invited to write for Libération by chance) show how non-linear and contingent intellectual lives can be (42:32–47:42).
  • "Je suis le produit de mes échecs, si vous voulez." (44:51 — Didier Eribon)

7. The Archive: Attraction and Fatigue

• Work on Archival Material:
  Eribon describes alternating phases of deep archival work (biographies of Foucault and Dumézil) and later a retreat into more theoretical writing, lacking primary sources for family history (48:09–50:13).

8. On Old Age and Social Class: Simone de Beauvoir’s Legacy

• Class, Aging, and Memory:
  Quoting Beauvoir, the podcast discusses variations in aging between intellectuals and workers, referencing Eribon’s Vie, vieillesse et mort d’une femme du peuple (50:13–53:51).
  • "Le vieillissement d’une femme ouvrière, qui a été ouvrière, n’est pas le même que le vieillissement d’une intellectuelle." (53:51 — Interviewer)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Toute ma vie je vais être victime de cette insulte."
  — Didier Eribon on growing up gay in a homophobic working-class environment (06:02)
• "Je suis le produit de l’histoire d’une ville, de l’histoire d’une région, de l’histoire d’un pays et de l’histoire des classes."
  — Didier Eribon on how context shapes identity (13:39)
• "L’inconscient, c’est l’histoire, mais dont on n’a pas conscience."
  — Didier Eribon, echoing Bourdieu/Durkheim (23:43)
• "Ce qu’on fait, c’est beaucoup de choses qu’on ne fait pas qui auraient été possibles."
  — Didier Eribon on contingency in life trajectories (46:39)
• "Le vieillissement d’une femme ouvrière... n’est pas le même que le vieillissement d’une intellectuelle."
  — Interviewer, reflecting on class differences in aging (53:51)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Introduction to Sociobiography & Retour à Reims: 00:09–04:16
• Class Crossing, Homophobia, and Identity: 04:16–09:29
• Sociological and Historical Approaches: 09:29–12:41
• Reims, Family Memory, and the Working-Class Shift: 12:41–20:29
• Social Unconscious & Class Habitus: 20:57–25:32
• Intellectual Formation: From Marx to Sartre to Dumézil: 25:32–33:39
• Structuralism & Intellectual Networks: 33:39–39:17
• Human Side of Intellectual Life & Chance: 39:31–47:42
• The Archive and Its Demands: 48:09–50:13
• Class and Aging – Simone de Beauvoir: 50:13–53:51

Tone & Style

The episode is reflective and personal, blending intellectual rigor with warmth and anecdote. Eribon's candidness about his struggles, influences, and the dynamic between determinism and randomness in life makes the discussion both relatable and enlightening.

For Further Reading

• Retour à Reims (Didier Eribon)
• Sociobiographie (Didier Eribon & Geoffroy Huard)
• Vie, vieillesse et mort d'une femme du peuple (Didier Eribon)
• La Distinction (Pierre Bourdieu)
• La Vieillesse (Simone de Beauvoir)

Conclusion

This episode is a rich meditation on how our intimate stories can only be understood within the context of collective histories—of class, place, and culture. Through his own trajectory and with references to key French thinkers, Eribon exemplifies the persistent, vital interplay between individual lives and the forces of history.