Marcel Granet pioneered the application of sociological methods to the study of ancient Chinese society, fundamentally shifting the academic approach to sinology during the early twentieth century. A prominent figure within the Durkheimian school, he integrated rigorous social science theory into historical analysis to examine Chinese civilization through the distinct lenses of religion, law, and institutional development.
Academic Formation and Influences
Born in 1884 in Luc-en-Diois, Granet received his secondary education at Lycée Louis-le-Grand before entering the École Normale Supérieure in 1904. During this period, he encountered Émile Durkheim, whose sociological theories profoundly influenced his intellectual trajectory. Granet participated in socialist study circles alongside figures such as Marcel Mauss and Maurice Halbwachs, grounding his developing research in the collective intellectual environment of the Durkheimian tradition.
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After earning his agrégation in history in 1907, Granet pursued research on feudalism with the support of the Fondation Thiers. Upon the advice of librarian Lucien Herr and sinologist Edouard Chavannes, he redirected his focus toward Chinese language and culture. In 1911, he secured a French government grant to travel to Beijing. His experiences during the 1911 Revolution and the collapse of the Qing dynasty provided immediate, firsthand contact with the transformation of the Chinese state, which informed his later scholarship.
Career and Institutional Contributions
Returning to France in 1913, Granet assumed academic posts at the Lycée de Marseille and the Lycée de Montpellier before succeeding Chavannes as Directeur d'Études at the École Pratique des Hautes Études. His professional life spanned multiple institutions, including the École nationale des langues orientales vivantes, where he served as a professor. In 1926, he helped establish the Institut des Hautes Études Chinoises. His service to the French state included participation in World War I, for which he received the Croix de guerre 1914–1918.
Scholarship and Final Years
Granet produced influential works such as La religion des Chinois in 1922 and earned the Prix Stanislas Julien in 1926. He remained committed to collaborative academic projects, including efforts to revive the Année Sociologique. In 1940, he assumed the presidency of the fifth section of religious science at the École Pratique, replacing Marcel Mauss. Granet died later that year in Sceaux at age 56.
Fast facts
- Born: 1884, Luc-en-Diois
- Died: 1940, Sceaux
- Educated at: École Normale Supérieure, Lycée Louis-le-Grand
- Key award: Prix Stanislas Julien (1926)
- Military service: Croix de guerre 1914–1918
- Primary fields: Sinology, Sociology
- Institutional presidency: 1933-1936
Questions readers ask
What specific methodology did Granet apply to Chinese studies?
He applied the sociological methods developed by Émile Durkheim, viewing Chinese civilization through the lens of institutional, legal, and religious social structures.
What was the significance of his 1911 trip to China?
He travelled to Beijing to study classical Chinese texts on a government grant and witnessed the 1911 Revolution as the Republic of China replaced the Qing dynasty.
Achievements
- Held posts at École pratique des hautes études and École nationale des langues orientales vivantes
- Fields: sinology
