Julia M. Gossard - Young Subjects: Children, State-Building, and Social Reform in the Eighteenth-Century French World

Young Subjects

States, People, and the History of Social Change

Series editors Rosalind Crone and Heather Shore

The States, People, and the History of Social Change series brings together cutting-edge books written by academic historians on criminal justice, welfare, education, health, and other areas of social change and social policy. The ways in which states, governments, and local communities have responded to social problems can be seen across many different temporal and geographical contexts. From the early modern period to contemporary times, states have attempted to shape the lives of their inhabitants in important ways. Books in this series explore how groups and individuals have negotiated the use of state power and policy to regulate, change, control, or improve peoples lives and the consequences of these processes. The series welcomes international scholars whose research explores social policy (and its earlier equivalents) as well as other responses to social need, in historical perspective.

1 Writing the Lives of the English Poor, 1750s1830s
Steven King

2 The Peoples Health
Health Intervention and Delivery in Maos China, 19491983
Zhou Xun

3 Young Subjects
Children, State-Building, and Social Reform in the Eighteenth-Century French World
Julia M. Gossard

Young Subjects

Children, State-Building, and Social Reform in the Eighteenth-Century French World

JULIA M. GOSSARD

McGILL-QUEENS UNIVERSITY PRESS

Montreal & Kingston London Chicago

McGill-Queens University Press 2021

ISBN 978-0-2280-0565-0 (cloth)

ISBN 978-0-2280-0689-3 (ePDF)

ISBN 978-0-2280-0690-9 (ePUB)

Legal deposit first quarter 2021

Bibliothque nationale du Qubec

Printed in Canada on acid-free paper that is 100% ancient forest free (100% post-consumer recycled), processed chlorine free

Funding in support of publication has been provided by the History Department and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Utah State University.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Title: Young subjects : children, state-building, and social reform in the eighteenth-century French world / Julia M. Gossard.

Names: Gossard, Julia M., 1987- author.

Series: States, people, and the history of social change ; 3.

Description: Series statement: States, people, and the history of social change ; 3 | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20200358812 | Canadiana (ebook) 20200359126 | ISBN 9780228005650 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780228006893 (PDF) | ISBN 9780228006909 (EPUB)

Subjects: LCSH: ChildrenFranceSocial conditions18th century. | LCSH: Child laborFranceHistory18th century. | LCSH: Social reformersFranceHistory18th century. | LCSH: Social problemsFranceHistory18th century. | LCSH: ChildrenGovernment policyFranceHistory18th century. | LCSH: FranceSocial conditions18th century.

Classification: LCC HQ792.F8 G67 2021 | DDC 305.23/0944 09033dc23

This book was designed and typeset by studio oneonone in 11/14 Minion

For my parents, Dawn-L and Jim Gossard

Contents

Figures

Geometrical Map of Lyon subject to new alignments, augmented with new neighborhoods, and enriched with prominent buildings. Plan gomtral de la Ville de Lyon Assujetti aux nouveaux alignements, augment des quartiers neufs et enrichi des btiments principaux, Bibliothque Nationale de France, Gallica (GE B 6943)

Youths Apprenticeship Reading Lesson. Leon dapprentissage de lecture pour enfants, Bibliothque Nationale de France, Gallica (X-12865)

Pedagogical playing cards. Pices dun jeu de cartes pdagogiques, Bibliothque Nationale de France, Gallica (8 S 3631)

Transport of girls to the Hospital. Le Transport des filles de joye lHpital, Bibliothque Nationale de France, Gallica, (RESERVE QB-370 (7)-FT 4)

The motherland teaches all her children, she nurtures them all in her womb and enlightens them with reason. La Patrie instruit ses enfants, elle les reoit tous dans son sein et la Raison les claire, Bibliothque Nationale de France, Gallica (QB-1 (1793-08-10)-FOL)

Acknowledgments

For the past decade, I have nurtured this project from its humble infancy as a thesis, to its adolescence as a dissertation, and finally, to its adulthood as a book. But, over this decade, I have not been alone in supporting its maturation. I owe a debt of gratitude to several individuals and organizations that provided me with financial and mentoring support. First, the History Department and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHass) at Utah State University generously funded the completion and publication of this book. In addition to a semester off from teaching to finish writing this book, the History Department and CHass have funded publication workshops, archival trips, and conference presentations and provided excellent mentoring.

Additionally, the Institute for Historical Studies at The University of Texas at Austin, where I held an inaugural postdoctoral research fellowship in 201516, provided me with an entire academic year to convert my dissertation into an initial manuscript for submission. The Department of History and the Graduate School at The University of Texas at Austin, as well, awarded me a prestigious Named/Endowed Dissertation Completion Fellowship to finish my dissertation and full funding through my doctoral program.

Several organizations and archives awarded my project research fellowships at different stages. The American Historical Associations Bernadotte E. Schmitt Grant for Research in European, African, or Asian History as well as a Newberry Library Short-Term Research Fellowship sponsored my final stages of research at the Newberry Library in 2017. The Omohundro Institute of Early American History & Culture invited me to present at their annual colloquia in 2019. The Society for French Historical Studies Marjorie M. and Lancelot L. Farrar Memorial Award for the Best Dissertation in Progress at a North American University and the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies Robert R. Palmer Research Travel Award provided essential funds to undertake research in 2012 and 2013. The Mellon Foundation underwrote my participation in the Newberry Librarys French Paleography course that made archival research a feasible endeavour. The archivists and librarians at the archives I visited deserve recognition here as well. The Archives Dpartementales du Rhne and the Archives Municipales de Lyon, in particular, were so accommodating and helpful to an early career researcher.

Additionally, McGill-Queens University Press (MQUP) has been a pleasure to work with for my first book. My editor Kyla Madden provided much guidance and advice. Her helpful conversations about the use of the term agency and childhood have made this work better. Shelagh Plunkett served as an excellent copy editor. My deepest thanks to the two anonymous readers. Their comments, thoughts, and queries helped to create a stronger analytical framework. Thank you.

One of the best decisions I have made in life was to study under Julie Hard-wick at The University of Texas at Austin. As all of her former students will attest to, Julie is one of the kindest mentors and also one of the most demanding. She prepares her students to be entrepreneurial. It equips them well for their lives as professional historians. Julie is my fiercest professional advocate, one of my strongest cheerleaders, and one of my most trusted advisors. I am so deeply appreciative of the professional and personal bonds Julie has sewn with me.