Félicien Robert Challaye (1 November 1875 – 26 April 1967) was a French philosopher,
anti-colonialist
Decolonization or decolonisation is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. Some scholars of decolonization focus especially on independence m ...
and human rights activist.
Early life
Félicien Challaye was born on 1 November 1875 in
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...
, France.
He earned the
agrégation in Philosophy in 1897.
Career
Challaye was a high school teacher of philosophy in Paris from 1903 to 1937.
He served as
Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza
Pietro Paolo Savorgnan di Brazzà, later known as Pierre Paul François Camille Savorgnan de Brazza; 26 January 1852 – 14 September 1905), was an Italian-born, naturalized French explorer. With his family's financial help, he explored the Ogoou ...
's secretary on his 1905 trip to the
Congo.
Three years later, in 1908, he founded a human rights organization for the indigenous people of the Congo.
He subsequently served as the vice president of the
Human Rights League.
Challaye served in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, and he was wounded in combat in 1915.
After the war, he became a staunch pacifist.
By 1931, he suggested he preferred peace to war, even if France had to be invaded by Germany.
Challaye was the author of many books on philosophy. He also published children's books under the pseudonym of Robert Fougère.
Death and legacy
Challaye died on 26 April 1967 in Paris, France.
The ''rue Félicien Challaye'' in
Tunis
''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois
, population_note =
, population_urban =
, population_metro = 2658816
, population_density_km2 =
, timezone1 = CET
, utc_offset1 ...
, Tunisia was named in his honor.
[Google Maps]
See also
*
List of peace activists
This list of peace activists includes people who have proactively advocated diplomatic, philosophical, and non-military resolution of major territorial or ideological disputes through nonviolent means and methods. Peace activists usually work ...
Works
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
References
1875 births
1967 deaths
Writers from Lyon
Writers from Paris
French philosophers
Human Rights League (France) members
French people of World War I
French pacifists
Lycée Louis-le-Grand teachers
{{France-philosopher-stub