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Émile Poulat

1920 – 2014

French historian and sociologist

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About Émile Poulat

Lived 1920 – 2014 (aged 94). Émile Poulat was a French historian, sociologist, university teacher, catholic priest and church historian.

Émile Poulat (; June 13, 1920 – November 22, 2014), was until 1954 a Catholic priest, associated with the Prêtres Ouvriers movement, and thereafter a French historian and sociologist. Director of Studies at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales, he was also director of research at CNRS and historian of the contemporary church.

He was a founding member of the Group of Sociology of Religion, director and member of the editorial boards of several journals including Politica Hermetica. His research concentrated on the conflict between Catholic and modern culture in the history of contemporary Catholicism.

Main works Études sur la tradition française de l'Association ouvrière, Éditions de Minuit, 1955. Les cahiers manuscrits de Fourier, Minuit, 1957. Priests and Workers, An Anglo-French Discussion, SCM Press, 1961. Le journal d'un prêtre d'après-demain (1902–1903) de l'Abbé Calippe, Casterman, 1961. Histoire, dogme et critique de la crise moderniste, Casterman, 1962, 1979; Albin Michel, 1996. Naissance des prêtres ouvriers, Casterman, 1965. Intégrisme et catholicisme intégral, Casterman, 1969. Les "semences religieuses", Université Lyon-II, 1973. Catholicisme, démocratie et socialisme, Casterman, 1977. Une Eglise ébranlée (1939–1978), Casterman, 1980. Modernistica. Horizons, physionomies, débats, Nouvelles Editions Latines, 1982. Le catholicisme sous observation, entretiens avec Guy Lafon, series Les Interviews, Paris, Éditions du Centurion, 1983. Ère post-chrétienne, Paris, Flammarion, 1994. Histoire dogme et critique dans la crise moderniste. Suivi de La réflexion d'Alphonse Dupront, 1962, Albin Michel, 1996. Henri Desroche, un passeur de frontières, with Claude Ravelet, L'Harmattan, 1997. La solution laïque et ses problèmes, Berg International, 1997. Henri Desroche un passeur de frontière, L'Harmattan, 1997. Les Prêtres-Ouvriers, Paris, Le Cerf editions, 1999. L'université devant la mystique, Salvator, 1999. Deus ex-machina, L'Âge d'Homme, 2002. Notre laïcité publique, Berg international, 2003. Le christianisme à contre-histoire, with Dominique Decherf, Éditions du Rocher, 2003. Les discriminations religieuses en France, with Dominique Kounkou, Chrétiens Autrement, 2004. La question religieuse et ses turbulences, Paris, Berg international, 2005. (dir.) 1905-2005. Les enjeux de la laïcité, with Alain Bondeelle, Jean Boussinesq, Alain Boyer, Driss El Yazami, Alain Gresh, Michel Morineau, Émile Poulat, Tariq Ramadan, Joël Roman, Michel Tubiana, L'Harmattan, 2005. Église contre bourgeoisie, Paris, Berg International, 2006. L'Antimaçonnisme catholique, with Jean-Pierre Laurant, Paris, Berg international, 2006. La Séparation et les églises de l'Ouest, L'Harmattan, 2006. Les diocésaines, la Documentation française, 2007. France chrétienne, France laïque, with Danièle Masson, Desclée de Brouwer, 2008. Aux carrefours statégiques de l'Église de France, Berg International, 2009. Scruter la loi de 1905, la République française et la Religion, Fayard, 2010

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Lycée des Francs-Bourgeois, Saint-Sulpice Seminary, University of Paris, Université de Strasbourg. Faculté de théologie catholique
Positions held
Director of Research at CNRS, Director of studies
Employers
School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences, La Croix
Awards
Officer of the Legion of Honour; Honorary doctorate at the Laval University; Officer of the National Order of Merit; Recusant's insignia
Also known as
Emile Poulat

People in Émile Poulat's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Émile Poulat's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Émile Poulat?

French historian and sociologist (1920-2014)

When was Émile Poulat born?

Émile Poulat was born on 13 June 1920 in 1st arrondissement of Lyon.

When did Émile Poulat die?

Émile Poulat died on 22 November 2014 in 5th arrondissement of Paris.

What was Émile Poulat's occupation?

Émile Poulat was a historian, sociologist, university teacher, catholic priest and church historian.

What nationality was Émile Poulat?

Émile Poulat was French.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Émile Poulat

· Wikidata: Q286362

· DBpedia: Émile Poulat

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Émile Poulat. https://biography.guide/emile-poulat/

MLA: "Émile Poulat." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/emile-poulat/.

Chicago: "Émile Poulat." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/emile-poulat/.

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