Birth of the Intellectuals 1880-1900

Christophe Charle's "Naissance des Intellectuels" has long been recognised as the most probing and rigorous analysis of the conditions which gave rise, in the course of the Dreyfus Affair, to the distinctively French conception of "l'intellectuel". Its exceptional combination of analytical command and sociological data provides a model for comparable studies, and so this English translation is to be warmly welcomed.
Stefan Collini, author of Absent Minds; Intellectuals in Britain
 
The term "intellectuals" has become so widely used since the time of the Dreyfus affair that we forget that until then, university faculty, artists and writers were nowhere typically a political and cultural avant-garde. Charle's work turns a sharp focus towards the creation of modern intellectuals, and brings out its worldwide cultural significance. This is a very welcome translation of an important book.
Randall Collins, University of Pennsylvania