Past Imperfect: Time and African Decolonization, 1945-1960

(Germany was also at the forefront of these debates, and the French did not want to simply follow the Germans), historians may be drawn in by the many political and economic players, named and where possible, quoted, and meaningfully contextualized. Philosophers and political scientists will also find the book important as they follow Ewald’s presentation of the various political parties, their arguments for and against certain proposals, and the ideologies behind them. The influence of one thinker in particular, Michel Foucault, Ewald’s dissertation advisor, is also evident. More helpful than oversimplifying a complicated and fascinating read is a consideration of its contemporary relevance, something Johnson mentioned at the beginning of his preface, as did Cooper at the end of her essay. One might first assume that as we revise social welfare systems in our time, the lessons of the past would be illuminating, and yes, knowing from where these systems arose is essential in their maintenance and improvement. But Ewald also provides a lesson for the development of other systems. That is, the problem of workplace accidents and the inability of the social, legal and political systems of the 19 century to deal with them seems quite like the ways COVID-19 has challenged our systems, leading to our inability to stop the pandemic. Striking a balance between individual liberty and state control is one important theme in both eras. In Ewald’s analysis, the challenges of the 19 century led to a creative new way to ensure people’s security through shared insurance costs and equitably shared benefits—an analysis well worth reading for its own sake. But the application to today was also heartening. We too must determine how to honour individual liberty while assuring broader security. The systems of the past are simply inadequate to deal with problems they were never meant to address, but when pushed to the brink, creative solutions are possible. It’s hard to tell from Ewald’s text whether the politics then were as polarized as they are today and misinformation as rife—additional social factors to consider. Still, the parallels suggest that we too should be able to devise new systems as innovative as that which Ewald describes as having birthed the French welfare state.