Élisabeth Badinter
Élisabeth Badinter | |
|---|---|
| Born | Élisabeth Bleustein-Blanchet March 5, 1944 Boulogne-Billancourt, France |
| Occupation(s) | Philosopher, historian, writer |
| Known for | Contributions to feminism and women's rights; chairwoman and principal shareholder of Publicis Groupe |
| Notable work | L'Amour en plus; L'un est l'autre; La fausse route; Le Conflit |
Élisabeth Badinter (born Bleustein-Blanchet on 5 March 1944) is a French philosopher, historian, and writer. She is renowned for her philosophical contributions concerning feminism and women's societal positions, championing liberal feminist ideals and advocating for the rights of female migrant workers in France. Committed to Enlightenment principles of rationalism and universalism, Badinter supports a form of "moderate feminism." In a 2010 survey by Marianne, she was recognized as France’s "most influential intellectual," largely due to her extensive works on motherhood and women's rights.
Badinter holds the position of chairwoman of the supervisory board and is the principal shareholder of Publicis Groupe, a global advertising and public relations corporation. These shares were passed down to her from her father, Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, who established the company. As reported by Forbes, in 2012 she was listed among France’s wealthiest individuals with an estimated net worth of US$1.8 billion.
Early life
Born in Boulogne-Billancourt to Sophie Vaillant and Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, founder of Publicis, Badinter grew up in a family with strong political and intellectual roots. Her mother, Sophie Vaillant, was the granddaughter of Édouard Vaillant, a notable French political figure and activist. Raised in the Jewish tradition following her mother’s conversion, Badinter and her two sisters were brought up embracing gender equality as a core value. She attended L'école alsacienne in Paris and was deeply influenced by Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex, which motivated her to pursue doctoral studies in philosophy at Sorbonne University, focusing on the history of the French Enlightenment.
Career
Following her academic training, Badinter served as an instructor at the École polytechnique. Her debut publication, L'Amour en plus (1980), examined whether maternal affection is an inherent trait or shaped by cultural influences, addressing societal norms surrounding motherhood.
In L'un est l'autre (1987), she analyzed the interplay between masculine and feminine characteristics within gender identities and discussed the tensions caused by oppression, forecasting transformations in gender roles and ethical standards.
Her 2003 book, La fausse route, offers a critique of modern French feminism, accusing it of fostering misandry and portraying women primarily as victims, which she argues exacerbates social polarization. She disputes essentialist feminist perspectives by asserting that "Man is not the enemy."
Political activism
Amidst the 1989 Islamic scarf debate in France, Badinter joined intellectuals such as Régis Debray, Alain Finkielkraut, Élisabeth de Fontenay, and Catherine Kintzler in signing an open letter addressed to then Education Minister Lionel Jospin. The letter called for students who refused to remove headscarves to be excluded from public schools. Badinter supports a secular education system where state neutrality takes precedence over religious displays. In an interview with the Financial Times, she remarked, "The religions of the Book have always fought against what would liberate women or facilitate their lives ... We talk about Muslim radicals all the time but it’s more general."
Personal life
In 1966, she wed attorney Robert Badinter, who subsequently held the position of Minister of Justice during François Mitterrand's administration. The couple has three children: one daughter and two sons.
Honours and awards
- : received an honorary doctorate from the Free University of Brussels in 2013
- : appointed Commander of the Order of Cultural Merit in 2011
- : awarded the rank of Commander in the Order of Arts and Letters in 2007
- : granted an honorary doctorate by the University of Liège in 2004
Publications
- L'Amour en plus: histoire de l'amour maternel (XVIIe-XXe siècle), 1981; ISBN 2-253-02944-0
- Les Goncourt: « Romanciers et historiens des femmes », foreword of « La Femme au XVIIe siècle d'Edmond et Jules de Goncourt', 1981
- Émilie, Émilie, L'ambition féminine au XVIIIe siècle, 1983; ISBN 2-08-210089-8
- Les Remontrances de Malesherbes (1771–1775), 1985
- L'Un est l'autre, 1986; ISBN 2-7381-1364-8
- Cahiers Suzanne Lilar, pages 15–26, Paris, Gallimard, 1986; ISBN 2-07-070632-X
- Condorcet. Un intellectuel en politique, 1988
- Correspondance inédite de Condorcet et Madame Suard (1771–1791), 1988
- Madame d'Épinay, Histoire de Madame de Montbrillant ou les Contreconfessions, introduction by Élisabeth Badinter, 1989
- Thomas, Diderot, Madame d'Épinay: Qu'est-ce qu'une femme?, preface by Élisabeth Badinter, 1989
- Condorcet, Prudhomme, Guyomar: Paroles d'hommes (1790–1793), authored by Élisabeth Badinter, 1989
- XY, de l'identité masculine, 1992; ISBN 2-253-09783-7
- Madame du Châtelet, Discours sur le bonheur, introduction, 1997
- Les Passions intellectuelles, volume 1: Désirs de gloire (1735–1751), published in 1999
- Les Passions intellectuelles, volume 2: L'exigence de dignité (1751–1762), released in 2002
- Les Passions intellectuelles, volume 3: Volonté Pouvoir (1762–1778), published by Fayard in 2007; ISBN 978-2-213-62643-7
- Simone de Beauvoir, Marguerite Yourcenar, Nathalie Sarraute, a conference with Élizabeth Badinter, Jacques Lassalle and Lucette Finas; released in 2002; ISBN 2-7177-2220-3
- Fausse route, published in 2003; ISBN 2-253-11264-X
- Julia Borossa’s translation titled Dead End Feminism from Fausse route, published by Polity in 2006; ISBN 0-7456-3380-3
- Madame du Châtelet, Madame d'Épinay: Ou l'Ambition féminine au XVIIIe siècle, issued in 2006; ISBN 2-08-210563-6
- Le conflit, la femme et la mère, published by Flammarion in 2010; ISBN 978-2-253-15755-7
- Adriana Hunter’s English translation titled The Conflict: How Modern Motherhood Undermines the Status of Women from Le Conflit, published by Henry Holt and Company in 2012; ISBN 978-0-8050-9414-5
- Le Pouvoir au féminin, Marie-Thérèse d'Autriche (1717–1780) – L'impératrice-reine, released in 2016; ISBN 978-2-08-137772-1