Rethinking Politeness with Henri Bergson

In 1885, Henri Bergson addressed a class of French high school students on the subject of politeness. Bergson would go on to become one of the most influential philosophers of his time, yet although this essay set forth a striking theory of politeness and foreshadowed aspects of his later work, it remains remarkably little-known. Rethinking Politeness with Henri Bergson offers the first English translation of Discours sur la Politesse, and brings together leading linguistic anthropologists to critically engage with and expand on Bergson's ideas. At the core of Bergson's essay is a tripartite classification of politeness acts into politesse des manières ("politeness of manners"), politesse de l'esprit ("politeness of mind/spirit"), and politesse du coeur ("politeness of the heart"). Presented along a hierarchy of intersubjective attunement and ethical aspirations, Bergson's three types call for the progressive abandonment of habits when they get in the way of our ability to help others. They can also be read as an invitation to consider politeness as a dimension of human sociability that is relevant to social theory. Collectively, the essays in this volume untangle the ideological, socio-historical, and material conditions that shape notions of the ideal social agent, and propose a rethinking of politeness that serves as a bridge to larger issues of civility, citizenship, and democracy.

Alessandro Duranti is Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at UCLA. His books include From Grammar to Politics: Linguistic Anthropology in a Western Samoan Village (1994), the textbook Linguistic Anthropology (1997), The Anthropology of Intentions: Language in a World of Others (2015), and a number of edited volumes. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the recipient of the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, the UCLA Alumni Distinguished Teaching Award, and the American Anthropological Association/Mayfield Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.

Acknowledgments Contributors Introduction Alessandro Duranti Politeness Henri Bergson Chapter One: A Sympathetic Reading of Bergson's Politeness Alessandro Duranti Chapter Two: Politeness is Political Mahalia Gayle Chapter Three: "Politesse," Power, and Point of View: Bergson's Essay in Comparative Perspective Judith T. Irvine Chapter Four: "Politeness has a heart": From Mantras to Stance-Taking in French Children's Socialization to Politeness Aliyah Morgenstern Chapter Five: "Hey, but that's not respectful!": Civic Discourse and Liberal Education in Pluralistic France Graham M. Jones Chapter Six: Giving up on Politeness: The Desire for Tactile Knowledge and the Art of Finding Life Lovable Terra Edwards Chapter Seven: The Surface of Politesse: Acting murt?? in Dhofar, Oman Kamala Russell Chapter Eight: Programming Politeness: Digital Servantry and the Rules of Social Engagement Keith M. Murphy Chapter Nine: Grace, Too: Reflections on Bergson's Ethics Jason Throop Chapter Ten: Bergson's intuitive politeness William F. Hanks Index