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| Éditions Complexe | |
|---|---|
| Name | Éditions Complexe |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Founder | Jean-Michel Delacomptée |
| Country | France |
| Headquarters | Paris |
| Publications | Books, Journals |
| Topics | Social sciences, Law, History, Political science, Literature |
Éditions Complexe Éditions Complexe is a French publishing house founded in 1978 in Paris specializing in social sciences, law, history, political science, and literature. The imprint developed academic and intellectual series that intersect with institutions such as Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, CNRS, École des hautes études en sciences sociales, and the Ministère de la Culture. Over decades it has collaborated with scholars linked to Collège de France, Institut d'études politiques de Paris (Sciences Po), Université de Strasbourg, and international universities including Harvard University, Oxford University, and University of Toronto.
Founded by Jean-Michel Delacomptée in 1978 amid a dynamic period involving figures from May 1968 protests in France, the house emerged alongside contemporaries like Éditions du Seuil, Gallimard, and Presses Universitaires de France. Early editorial choices reflected dialogues with editors and academics associated with Pierre Bourdieu, Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, and Raymond Aron traditions, and with historians such as Fernand Braudel and Marc Bloch. The press expanded through the 1980s and 1990s in parallel with policy shifts from administrations linked to François Mitterrand and cultural reforms associated with Jack Lang. During the 2000s the publisher negotiated distribution and co-edition agreements with houses like Editions du CNRS, Hachette Livre, and Éditions L'Harmattan, while participating in fairs such as the Salon du livre de Paris and international events including the Frankfurt Book Fair and BookExpo America.
The publishing program encompasses monographs, edited volumes, critical editions, and translations. It has produced works by scholars connected to Claude Lévi-Strauss, Emmanuel Levinas, Paul Ricœur, Hannah Arendt, and legal theorists influenced by Hans Kelsen and Ronald Dworkin. Texts cover topics addressed in conferences at European University Institute, Collège international de philosophie, and policy forums like World Bank seminars. Notable editions include commentaries on canonical texts related to Napoleon Bonaparte, analyses of events like the French Revolution and World War II, and bibliographies tied to cultural figures such as Victor Hugo, Marcel Proust, Simone de Beauvoir, and Albert Camus. Co-publications have included annotated series about Dreyfus Affair, studies of the Third Republic, and critical receptions of works by Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Émile Durkheim.
The house has published authors spanning generations and disciplines: historians such as Jacques Le Goff, Georges Duby, and Olivier Zunz; political scientists like Raymond Boudon, Pierre Rosanvallon, and Yves Mény; jurists linked to René Cassin and Jean Carbonnier; and literary critics in the lineage of Roland Barthes and André Gide. It has collaborated with institutions including Académie Française, Société des Historiens Modernes, Association française de science politique, and international centers like The British Library, Library of Congress, and Bibliothèque nationale de France. Editorial partnerships have extended to figures associated with research centers such as Institut Pasteur (for histories), Fondation Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, and think tanks akin to Institut Montaigne.
Editorially, the house favors rigorous scholarship, critical editions, and interdisciplinary approaches bridging history, sociology, law, and political theory. Recurring themes include republicanism examined through the lens of Charles de Gaulle, colonial and postcolonial studies engaging with Aimé Césaire and Frantz Fanon, urban studies reflecting on Haussmann-era transformations, and memory studies oriented around Vichy France and the Holocaust. The program has produced work on public policy debates tied to administrations like Nicolas Sarkozy and Emmanuel Macron, and theoretical contributions referencing Jürgen Habermas, John Rawls, and Michel Serres.
Distribution channels combine national networks including FNAC, academic channels like CNRS Éditions distribution partners, and international distributors active at fairs such as Bologna Children's Book Fair and Frankfurt Book Fair. The press maintains visibility in university bookstores at Sorbonne and libraries such as Bibliothèque universitaire de Montréal and British Library. Market presence extends to francophone markets in Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, and former francophone territories in North Africa—notably through collaborations with publishers in Algiers, Tunis, and Casablanca.
Works issued by the house and its authors have received distinctions linked to prizes and institutions: laureates associated with Prix Goncourt, Prix Médicis, Prix Renaudot (for literary studies), and scholarly recognition from bodies such as Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, Centre national du livre, and European Science Foundation. Authors have been fellows of Institut Universitaire de France, recipients of grants from Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques, and awardees of honors like the Légion d'honneur and decorations from cultural ministries in France and partner states.
Category:French publishing companies Category:Publishing companies established in 1978