Jean Suret-Canale
Encyclopedia
Jean Suret-Canale was a French historian of Africa, Marxist
theoritican, political activist, and World War II French Resistance
fighter.
, and Thérèse Suret-Canale, a painter educated first in Germany and then at the Académie Julian
in Paris.
As a student, he won scholarships to study in the French colonies of Dahomey
(Benin
) in 1938 and French Indochina
in 1939. He returned to France, and was an underground member of the jeunesses communistes resistance from 1940 to 1944. During this time he met his wife, Georgette, a feminist journalist, novelist and poet. He received a degree from the Université de Paris (1946) in geography, specialising in the countries of West Africa
and African studies
.
Returning to French West Africa
after the war, he engaged in political and trade union organizing, taught secondary school in Dakar
, but was forced to leave the then colony by the French government under military order. He was present during the 1947 Dakar-Niger railroad strike on which Ousmane Sembène
later based his seminal novel God's Bits of Wood
.
Back in France, Suret-Canale found a teaching post in Laval, Mayenne
and pursued his political writing while being active in the Communist party.
When Guinea
became independent he returned to Africa, first teaching in Conakry
(Lycée Classique), became head of the former local branch of Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire
(IFAN) (later the Institut National de Recherche et Documentation: the National Library, Archives and Museum of Guinea). Suret-Canale was later head of the Teachers College at Kindia
(Ecole Normale Supérieure). In the late 60s, he was again forced to return home by the French government under threat of having his nationality revoked.
While in France Suret-Canale continued his active work in the French Communist Party
, but was critical of the Stalinist leadership under Maurice Thorez
. Following Stalin's (and Thorez's) death, Suret-Canale became one of the founders of the parties academic center, the Centre d'etudes recherches marxistes (C.E.R.M.) in 1960, where he is most known for developing Marxist theories on the Asiatic mode of production
that were later adopteded by theoriticians of national liberation movements in the Third World
. For some time was a member of the Central Committee
of the PCF, despite having criticized the Politburo as an overly-rigid ruling body.
In retirement he continued to be politically engaged, writing occasional articles for the French paper l'Humanité
and contiuning his work with AFASPA (Association française d’amitié et de solidarité avec les peuples d’Afrique). He died at his home in Gironde
, 16 June 2007 and was laid to rest at La Roquille
(Gironde).
Shortly before retiring to Périgord
(where he had been in the resistance during the war) Suret-Canale submitted his Doctoral dissertation, a practice common in French academia. His "Africa and Capital" (Afrique et capitaux) brought together much of his research since the fifties or earlier.
His master work is considered to be the three volume L'Afrique Noire Occidentale et Centrale. Only the second volume, covering the colonial period in French controlled Africa, has been translated into English.
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
theoritican, political activist, and World War II French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
fighter.
Biography
Suret-Canale was born to father Victor Suret-Canale (1883–1958), an engraver educated at École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifsÉcole nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs
The École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs is a public university of art and design and is one of the most prestigious French grande école...
, and Thérèse Suret-Canale, a painter educated first in Germany and then at the Académie Julian
Académie Julian
The Académie Julian was an art school in Paris, France.Rodolphe Julian established the Académie Julian in 1868 at the Passage des Panoramas, as a private studio school for art students. The Académie Julian not only prepared students to the exams at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts, but offered...
in Paris.
As a student, he won scholarships to study in the French colonies of Dahomey
Dahomey
Dahomey was a country in west Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state that was founded in the seventeenth century and survived until 1894. From 1894 until 1960 Dahomey was a part of French West Africa. The independent Republic of Dahomey...
(Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
) in 1938 and French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
in 1939. He returned to France, and was an underground member of the jeunesses communistes resistance from 1940 to 1944. During this time he met his wife, Georgette, a feminist journalist, novelist and poet. He received a degree from the Université de Paris (1946) in geography, specialising in the countries of West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
and African studies
African studies
African studies is the study of Africa, especially the cultures and societies of Africa .The field includes the study of:Culture of Africa, History of Africa , Anthropology of Africa , Politics of Africa, Economy of Africa African studies is the study of Africa, especially the cultures and...
.
Returning to French West Africa
French West Africa
French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan , French Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire , Upper Volta , Dahomey and Niger...
after the war, he engaged in political and trade union organizing, taught secondary school in Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
, but was forced to leave the then colony by the French government under military order. He was present during the 1947 Dakar-Niger railroad strike on which Ousmane Sembène
Ousmane Sembène
Ousmane Sembène , often credited in the French style as Sembène Ousmane in articles and reference works, was a Senegalese film director, producer and writer...
later based his seminal novel God's Bits of Wood
God's Bits of Wood
God's Bits of Wood is a 1960 novel by the Senegalese author Ousmane Sembène that concerns a railroad strike in colonial Senegal of the 1940s. It was written in French under the title Les bouts de bois de Dieu. The book deals with several ways that the Senegalese and Malians responded to colonialism...
.
Back in France, Suret-Canale found a teaching post in Laval, Mayenne
Laval, Mayenne
Laval is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France.It lies on the threshold of Brittany and on the border between Normandy and Anjou. Its citizens are called Lavallois.-Geography:...
and pursued his political writing while being active in the Communist party.
When Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
became independent he returned to Africa, first teaching in Conakry
Conakry
Conakry is the capital and largest city of Guinea. Conakry is a port city on the Atlantic Ocean and serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea with a 2009 population of 1,548,500...
(Lycée Classique), became head of the former local branch of Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire
Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire
IFAN is a cultural and scientific institute in the nations of the former French West Africa...
(IFAN) (later the Institut National de Recherche et Documentation: the National Library, Archives and Museum of Guinea). Suret-Canale was later head of the Teachers College at Kindia
Kindia
Kindia is the third largest city in Guinea, lying about 85 miles north east of the nation's capital Conakry.Population 181,126 . - Overview :...
(Ecole Normale Supérieure). In the late 60s, he was again forced to return home by the French government under threat of having his nationality revoked.
While in France Suret-Canale continued his active work in the French Communist Party
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
, but was critical of the Stalinist leadership under Maurice Thorez
Maurice Thorez
thumb|A Soviet stamp depicting Maurice Thorez.Maurice Thorez was a French politician and longtime leader of the French Communist Party from 1930 until his death. He also served as vice premier of France from 1946 to 1947....
. Following Stalin's (and Thorez's) death, Suret-Canale became one of the founders of the parties academic center, the Centre d'etudes recherches marxistes (C.E.R.M.) in 1960, where he is most known for developing Marxist theories on the Asiatic mode of production
Asiatic mode of production
The theory of the Asiatic mode of production was devised by Karl Marx around the early 1850s. The essence of the theory has been described as "[the] suggestion .....
that were later adopteded by theoriticians of national liberation movements in the Third World
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
. For some time was a member of the Central Committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
of the PCF, despite having criticized the Politburo as an overly-rigid ruling body.
In retirement he continued to be politically engaged, writing occasional articles for the French paper l'Humanité
L'Humanité
L'Humanité , formerly the daily newspaper linked to the French Communist Party , was founded in 1904 by Jean Jaurès, a leader of the French Section of the Workers' International...
and contiuning his work with AFASPA (Association française d’amitié et de solidarité avec les peuples d’Afrique). He died at his home in Gironde
Gironde
For the Revolutionary party, see Girondists.Gironde is a common name for the Gironde estuary, where the mouths of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers merge, and for a department in the Aquitaine region situated in southwest France.-History:...
, 16 June 2007 and was laid to rest at La Roquille
La Roquille
La Roquille is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
(Gironde).
Shortly before retiring to Périgord
Périgord
The Périgord is a former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne département, now forming the northern part of the Aquitaine région. It is divided into four regions, the Périgord Noir , the Périgord Blanc , the Périgord Vert and the Périgord Pourpre...
(where he had been in the resistance during the war) Suret-Canale submitted his Doctoral dissertation, a practice common in French academia. His "Africa and Capital" (Afrique et capitaux) brought together much of his research since the fifties or earlier.
His master work is considered to be the three volume L'Afrique Noire Occidentale et Centrale. Only the second volume, covering the colonial period in French controlled Africa, has been translated into English.
Works
- Afrique Noire: l'Ere Coloniale (Editions Sociales, Paris, 1971); Eng. translation, French Colonialism in Tropical Africa, 19001945 (New York, 1971).
- Afrique Noire: de la Décolonisation aux Indépendances (Editions Sociales, Paris, 1972).
- Afrique Noire, Géographie, Civilisation, Histoire (Editions Sociales, Paris, 1973).
Other Works include
- Les Groupes d'Etudes Communistes (G.E.C.) en Afrique Noire.
- La République de Guinée, Paris. Editions sociales, 1970.
- Essays on African History: From the Slave Trade to Neocolonialism Preface by Basil Davidson Translated from the French by Christopher Hurst C. Hurst & Co., London, 1969.
- Etablissement industriel guinéen.
- La Guinée dans le système colonial (Guinea under the colonial system), Présence africainePrésence AfricainePrésence africaine is a panafrican quarterly cultural, political, and literary magazine, published in Paris and founded by Alioune Diop in 1947. In 1949, Présence africaine expanded to include a publishing house and a bookstore on the rue des Écoles in the Latin Quarter of Paris...
, 29 (Dec. 1959-Janv.) 1960. - Notes sur l'économie guinéenne.
- La Guinée face à son avenir, Nouvelle revue internationale, 9 (Feb.) 1966.
- The Fouta-Djalon Chieftaincy: West African Chiefs. Their Changing Status under Colonial Rule and Independence
- La fin de la chefferie en Guinée, Journal of African History, 7, No. 3. 1966.
- De Lcouverte de Samori. Cahiers d'études africainesCahiers d'Études africainesThe Cahiers d'Études africaines is an international and interdisciplinary academic journal covering topics in the social sciences as relating to Africa, the West Indies, and Black Africa. The journal publishes miscellaneous issues and essays covering recent trends in research and field theory and...
. 1977 (17)66: 381-388. - Tableau économique de la Guinée, Bulletin d'Afrique noire, 12 (Jan. 10) 1966.
- Touba, haut-lieu de l'Islam en Guinée.
- Histoire de l'Afrique Occidentale, (With Djibril Tamsir NianeDjibril Tamsir NianeDjibril Tamsir Niane is a historian, playwright, and short story writer, born in Conakry, Guinea. His secondary education was in Senegal and his degree from the University of Bordeaux. He is an honorary professor of Howard University and the University of Tokyo...
), 1961. - contributions to The Black Book of CapitalismThe Black Book of CapitalismLe Livre Noir du Capitalisme is a French book published in 1998, in reaction to The Black Book of Communism . Unlike the latter however, Le Livre Noir du Capitalisme does not attempt to provide a comprehensive tally of victims of the politico-economic system in question...
, 1997.