« From Great War’s Memorial to the House of Peace : pacifist initiatives in Saint-Ouen »
Résumé
At the aftermath of the First World War, the municipality of Saint-Ouen decided the erection of a War memorial. Contrary to other similar monuments all over France, bound to stir ‘patriotic’/nationalist sentiments among citizens, this one was conceived as a ‘stone manifesto’ against war and its underlying causes. Seventy years later, when the world entered a new era of conflicts at the end of the 20th century, the House of Peace (Maison de la Paix) was established and inaugurated at the same city. It hosts today the headquarters of the French Movement for Peace, member of the World Peace Council and the International Peace Bureau. At the same time, this association supports both the French section of Parlementarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmement, and Mayors for Peace, whose network is joined by the city of Saint-Ouen.
Besides its legacy as a left-wing stronghold in French political landscape, how local municipal officials, involved in such actions for the promotion of the culture of peace ? Through the study of municipal archives, archives of the French Movement for Peace, and the echoes of its actions in the local or national Press, this paper aims at examining which were and how had been developed the peace initiatives in the city of Saint-Ouen, all along the 20th century and up to nowadays.
Domaines
Sciences de l'Homme et Société
Origine : Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s)