The Development of Albert Camus's Concern for Social and Political JusticeMarke Orme
The ideal of justice has preoccupied innumerable philosophers, political scientists, and moral theorists over the ages and, today, the subject remains fundamental to ethical debate. The French intellectual Albert Camus (1913-1960) is a man whose life was devoted to justice, yet that devotion, which has not yet been significantly analyzed by critics, underwent significant changes in the different phases of his life and under pressure of external events. The aim of The Development of Camus’s Concern for Social and Political Justice is to explore the reality of Camus as a man imbued with the ideal of justice, as exemplified in the whole range of his non-fictional writings that relate to the subject, against the background of the historic-political and moral challenges of the mid-twentieth century. Chronological, the book evaluates the evolution of Camus’ lifelong preoccupation with sociopolitical justice, as expressed in his essays, journalism, articles, speeches, notebooks, and personal correspondence, where the writer’s own concerns come directly to the fore. Three main phases of Camus’ consideration of the concept are examined by Mark Orme, Principal Lecturer in Languages and International Studies at the University of Central Lancashire in the United Kingdom, where he teaches in the areas of Contemporary French Society and Culture, Translation and Existentialist Literature. First, the young Camus’ deeply personal and pro-active moral psychology is investigated to yield an early understanding of justice rich in compassion and sensibility. How external forces impact on, and come into conflict with, this pragmatic morality is analyzed in relation to the second phase of Camus’ preoccupation, ushered in by the outbreak of the Second World War. The Development of Camus’s Concern for Social and Political Justice examines how changing historical circumstances require Camus to undergo a rethinking of his earlier views in more collective terms. Continuing moral complexities in the postwar period further impinge on Camus’ moral stance as his largely unrivalled view of justice during the war years makes way for an ethic that seeks to strike a balance between the claims of justice and of freedom. The profound psychological effect made upon Camus by the hostile reception of The Rebel (1951), a work in which he had invested a great intellectual effort, announces the final phrase of his engagement with justice, where the pressures of history and personal circumstance increasingly lead to frustration and disillusionment in the writer’s thought. Insurmountable difficulties with regard to the Algerian crisis forced Camus, toward the end of his life, to scale down his attitude toward social and political justice in what marks a return to the personal nature of his preoccupation characteristic of the writer’s formative years in Algeria. In this way, there is a clear cyclical aspect to Camus’ overall engagement with the concept. The Development of Camus’s Concern for Social and Political Justice is the first in-depth account in English of the development of Camus’ concern for justice as a moral problematic. It will be of interest to students, researchers, and lecturers of French studies, politics, social history, and philosophy, who require an understanding of how contemporary leading French intellectuals responded to the moral and political challenges in the mid-twentieth century. The work is also intended as a core text for both undergraduate and postgraduate levels exploring French Existentialism from literary, philosophical, and sociopolitical perspectives. Literature & Fiction, July 2007 To see a full description of this book, search our online database
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