Le Télémaque is an association created in 1997 whose aim is « to support and to promote the publication and confrontation of ideas about the philosophy and the theories of education. Within this scope it looks after the interests of the periodical Le Télémaque and gives it its support » (statute of the association, art. 2).
The periodical was created in 1994. It was, and remains, the only one in France in the field of Philosophy of Education; it celebrated in 2015 its twentieth anniversary and brought out in 2016 its 50th issue.
Furthermore, the association demonstrates its expertise by providing material and scientific support to the organisation of conferences in the field of philosophy of education, such as:
- Conference L’Emile seen from today – International Conference Center of Cerisy-la-Salle, June 2012, on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
- Conference Inheritor of Humanity, University of Tours, April 2015.
The association works in close relationship with the editors of the periodical towards the definition of its editorial policy and the elaboration of its reports.
THE PERIODICAL is aimed at giving a place to the philosophy of Education in the publishing world. It is a way for this field to have its own theoretical elaboration. It intends to define an autonomous scope of research that makes it possible to tackle the topical questions in Education with a new approach.
Throughout the reading of the periodical issues, you will find unceasing interferences of several fields such as history, sociology, philosophy of politics, child psychology and educational sciences, literature and the good old classical philosophy.
Why is the periodical called Le Télémaque? It refers to the piece of work Fenelon had written within two years (from 1694 to 1696) to ensure a proper education to the Duke of Bourgogne : his position seems to be exemplary. As a matter of fact Fenelon was influenced by the Antiquity authors such as Homer and Vergil. He took the best of their ideas that were still workable at the end of the 17th century. Although he had inherited these ideas from the ancient time, his philosophy included all the nascent schemes of modernity. His contemporaries never doubt of his methods being significant : the book became immediately a best seller in France and in other countries (for the only 17th century, the book was to be translated in more than a dozen of languages). Up to the end of the 19th century, it was considered as the indispensable reference for every reflection connected with Education, from Rousseau’s book l’Émile (1762) to Joseph Jacotot’s Manuel de l’émancipation intellectuelle ( » Manual of intellectual freeing » – 1841), which is a project for social and popular Education.
THE PERIODICAL has been edited since 1998 by the Caen University Press that carry out its production, management, circulation and promotion. The periodical is on sale in bookstores.
All queries concerning subscriptions to the periodical should be sent directly to the Caen University Press: puc@unicaen.fr.
Articles should be submitted directly to the editors: redaction@letelem.com.