Katie Jarvis
"Crafting a Revolutionary Identity: The Dames des Halles and Political Activism during the French Revolution"
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Abstract
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As the French revolutionaries struggled to reimagine politics and society, multiple groups attempted to capture political influence as the voice of the popular classes. Among the forerunners were the Dames des Halles, Parisian market women who struggled to maintain their Old Regime position as ritual representatives of the people by appropriating revolutionary practices and discourse. Although the Dames des Halles proved to be critical political actors in several journées, historians have yet to undertake a comprehensive study of their revolutionary activism. My project examines how the Dames des Halles called upon multiple layers of legitimacy – ritual, economic, gendered, and revolutionary – to navigate the political and cultural changes of the Revolution. I am especially interested in how the Dames des Halles reconciled their principal economic interests with their image as popular guardians during subsistence crises and the implementation of the Maximum. The Dames des Halle’s case is particularly complicated due to the literary genre poissard, which sought to capture the daily lives of the Parisian popular classes, particularly the Dames des Halles, in a boisterous and often hyperbolic form. This poissard image became deeply politicized as pamphleteers of contradictory political positions appropriated it to gain popular legitimacy. My dissertation investigates how the intricate relationship between the counterfeit and true Dames des Halles informed their public image. Working at the intersection of popular politics, popular culture, and economics, I intend to study the Dames des Halles’ political activism and the simultaneous renegotiation of their public identity throughout the course of the Revolution.
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