Lucas Privet

Please tell us about your research project.

My thesis offers a comparative history of British and French socialism in relation to colonisation in its environmental dimension from the 1830s, when the first socialists took up the colonial question, until the eve of the First World War, when socialism split between imperial reformers and anti-imperialists. The methodology is based on a grounded history of ideas, attentive to the concrete practices of actors engaged in projects of environmental transformation. The thesis follows their imperial itineraries in various contexts: settler colonies (Algeria, Australasia, South Africa), administered colonies (India, Morocco), ‘internal colonies’ (Ireland), and territories of informal imperialism (Egypt, South America). This global field allows us to grasp the diversity of socialist commitments and modes of intervention on nature. A comparative approach between the British and French empires allows us to identify national specificities and common dynamics, shedding light on convergences, divergences, and contextual effects in socialist uses of nature. The thesis defends the hypothesis that socialists were not passive spectators or mere critics of colonial expansion, but actors in their own right, carrying out concrete transformation projects and producing an imaginary of colonial domination of nature with lasting influence. While their position evolved from a conception of the socialist as a pioneering colonist – committed to making the colonial territory a privileged testing ground for the realisation of socialism and the development of the globe – to a more marked anti-imperialism at the turn of the century, this evolution was far from linear. On the contrary, the attention paid to environmental issues reveals ambiguities that would persistently permeate socialist visions of colonisation.

I work under the supervision of Hélène Blais (ENS-PSL, Institut d’histoire moderne et contemporaine) and Fabrice Bensimon (Sorbonne Université, Centre d’histoire du XIXe siècle).

Could you please tell us a bit more about your scholarship/exchange programme?

I had the opportunity to spend a month at the Maison française d’Oxford in order to advance my research, and in particular to have access to the rich documentary and bibliographic resources of the Bodleian Library, enabling me to make considerable progress on the British part of my comparative research.

First impressions of Oxford/the University?

My first impressions of Oxford are fascinating. The city exudes a unique charm where history, culture, and academic excellence come together. The impressive architecture of the colleges, the iconic libraries, and the green spaces create an inspiring setting for studying. I was particularly struck by the dynamism of the students and the richness of the intellectual and cultural exchanges, which make you want to get fully involved and enjoy this unique experience, both academically and personally.