The conception of power established by General de Gaulle in 1958 has long embodied a strong model of governance, contrasting with the fragility of the parliamentary regimes of the IIIe and IVe Republics. Today, however, the "republican monarchy" it engendered seems to be under attack. Should we see in this the obsolescence of our institutions, or the inability of political personnel to make use of them in accordance with their spirit?
A look back at French political history sheds light on the deep roots of this crisis of power. From the parliamentary Republic of the XIXe century to the hyper-presidency of the XXIe century, the relationship between institutions, elites and providential figures has constantly evolved.
This interview with Jean Garrigues will be an opportunity to explore these metamorphoses of power: how it is embodied, transformed and legitimized over time. This dialogue will also provide an opportunity to reflect on the place of Parliament and its role in France's democratic vitality, in order to better understand the driving forces behind the current crisis and to consider possible paths to political renewal.
Jean Garrigues is a historian and professor emeritus at the University of Orléans. A specialist in French political history of the XIXe and XXe centuries, he has devoted his work to the evolution of Parliament, political staff and elites.
President of the Comité d'histoire parlementaire et politique from 2002 to 2024, he also founded Parlement(s), Revue d'histoire politique in 2003. His works, devoted to providential figures, the Republic and its representations, make him one of the leading connoisseurs of the forms and symbols of political power in France.
]]>Vanessa Codaccioni has been analyzing the mechanisms at work for many years. From the tipping point reached during the Algerian War, with a radicalization of repression of foreigners and North Africans, to the introduction of the State of Emergency, in this interview she looks back at the history of state repression, showing how targets are identified, how repression becomes increasingly violent, diffuse and ordinary.
Vanessa Codaccioni is a political scientist. A former member of the editorial board of the journal Délibérée, her research focuses on criminal justice, the criminalization of repression.
A lecturer in political science at Paris 8 University and a member of the CRESPPA-CSU laboratory, she is the author of numerous books on the subject, including Self-Defense. Homicides sécuritaires, crimes racistes et violences policières (CNRS éditions, 2018), Repression. L'État face aux contestations politiques (Textuel, 2019), The vigilance society (Textuel, 2021), Lie detectors. Searching for confessions and tracking down the truth, (Textuel, 2024).
His latest book is entitled Comment les États répriment (éditions Divergences, 2025).
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