"On ne fait pas l'histoire en dehors de l'histoire” : Ernest Renan, le comparatisme et les études phéniciennes

Ernest Renan’s Mission de Phénicie, published between 1864 and 1874, is generally considered to be the founding act of the scientific study of the Phoenician world. This paper examines the contextual conditions and orientation of Renan’s knowledge production. In particular, the objective is to understand the genesis and evolution of his thinking on cultural comparisons based on the concepts of race, Geist and nation. The article highlights the importance of the references to the Greek and Hebrew worlds from which Renan ranks other cultures, especially the Phoenician one.