Category Archives: Emile Benveniste

Six degrees of T.S. Eliot – the links through Jean de Menasce to Émile Benveniste

Posted on December 15, 2023 by stuartelden

Given how connected he was, I suppose it was only a matter of time before my Indo-European research project led me in the direction of T.S. Eliot. It came in the lead I was following with Jean de Menasce, who … Continue reading →

Posted in Emile Benveniste, Jean de Menasce, Mapping Indo-European Thought in Twentieth Century France, T.S. Eliot, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Indo-European Thought in Twentieth-Century France update 15: A first trip to the Paris archives since the spring and more archive work in the UK

Posted on November 30, 2023 by stuartelden

I’m now back at work full time, though very grateful to be free of teaching and administrative duties, and I am feeling much better and more like myself. I was in Paris for two weeks this month, which was the … Continue reading →

Posted in Alexandre Koyré, Aurel Stein, Emile Benveniste, Georges Bataille, Georges Dumézil, Mapping Indo-European Thought in Twentieth Century France, Marcel Mauss, Michel Foucault, Roland Barthes, William Shakespeare | Leave a comment

Indo-European Thought in Twentieth-Century France update 14: returning to work, tracking Benveniste’s teaching, and working with archives including the Aurel Stein collections in London

Posted on October 31, 2023 by stuartelden

I have now been back at work for a few weeks, initially beginning half-time and gradually increasing what I can do. The support I have had from my department for a long period off work and a phased transition has … Continue reading →

Posted in Aurel Stein, Emile Benveniste, Mapping Indo-European Thought in Twentieth Century France, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

On the trail of Aurel Stein – working in archives for the Indo-European thought project

Posted on October 27, 2023 by stuartelden

The research for the Indo-European thought project has been difficult to confine to a solely French focus. I knew I wanted to begin what will probably be the first chapter with the story of the Mission Paul Pelliot, an expedition to Chinese … Continue reading →

Posted in Aurel Stein, Emile Benveniste, Mapping Indo-European Thought in Twentieth Century France | 5 Comments

Indo-European Thought in Twentieth-Century France update 13: work on Benveniste, Saussure and in UK archives, a seminar on the research, and a brief health update

Posted on August 31, 2023 by stuartelden

In an earlier post here I briefly mentioned the medical issues that put me in hospital for three weeks in July. The operation was a success and I am making a good, though slow, recovery. I have been at home for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Emile Benveniste, Ernst Kantorowicz, Ferdinand de Saussure, Georges Dumézil, Mircea Eliade, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

“Indo-European Thought in Post-War France“, Warwick Seminar for Interdisciplinary French Studies, 31 May 2023 (video)

Posted on June 1, 2023 by stuartelden

My talk to the Warwick Seminar for Interdisciplinary French Studies was recorded and is available online – “Indo-European Thought in Post-War France“ I begin with two stories – one about the Mission Paul Pelliot and its importance to the early … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Emile Benveniste, Georges Dumézil, Mapping Indo-European Thought in Twentieth Century France, Mircea Eliade, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

‘Indo-European Thought in Post-War France’, Warwick Seminar for Interdisciplinary French Studies, 31 May 2023, 4pm

Posted on May 31, 2023 by stuartelden

Update: the recording is available here For anyone interested in my new project, I’ll be speaking about some of it in an online seminar today at 4pm: ‘Indo-European Thought in Post-War France’, Warwick Seminar for Interdisciplinary French Studies

Posted in Emile Benveniste, Georges Dumézil, Mapping Indo-European Thought in Twentieth Century France, Mircea Eliade | Leave a comment

Indo-European Thought in Twentieth-Century France update 12: working in some UK archives; Benveniste’s EPHE teaching; some talks on the research

Posted on May 26, 2023 by stuartelden

After the last update a friend contacted me with some valuable information – about an archive which was already on my list of ones to try to visit when in the United States next year, but should certainly now be … Continue reading →

Posted in Claude Lévi-Strauss, Emile Benveniste, Eric Hobsbawm, Georges Dumézil, Gillian Rose, Henri Lefebvre, Mapping Indo-European Thought in Twentieth Century France, Michel Foucault, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

James McElvenny (ed.), The Limits of Structuralism: Forgotten Texts in the History of Modern Linguistics – Oxford University Press, March 2023

Posted on May 12, 2023 by stuartelden

James McElvenny (ed.), The Limits of Structuralism: Forgotten Texts in the History of Modern Linguistics – Oxford University Press, March 2023 An expensive but interesting looking collection – also available on Oxford Scholarship Online. Based around seven primary texts spanning … Continue reading →

Posted in Emile Benveniste, Roman Jakobson | Leave a comment

Marie-Louise Sjoestedt (1900-1940) – an important scholar of Celtic languages and mythology

Posted on May 2, 2023 by stuartelden

Update January 2025: A revised and expanded version of this post is here. One of the problems with my current project on Indo-European thought in France is how male-dominated it is. If you look at a photograph of the Collège … Continue reading →

Posted in Emile Benveniste, Georges Dumézil, Mapping Indo-European Thought in Twentieth Century France, Uncategorized | 5 Comments