Barbarity in the Encyclopédie

Thoughts on an Enlightened Debate

Abstract

The article focuses on the uses and definitions of terms like “barbarian” and “barbarity” in the Encyclopédie, in order to explore ideas regarding those subjects during the Enlightenment, both inside and outside France. On the one hand, the text traces similarities and divergences between Diderot and D’Alembert’s opus and other writings, thus showing the origins of some of these ideas. On the other hand, the study of some debates on that theme, including the European global expansion and the enlightened criticism of imperialism, shows the complexity of the aforementioned ideas, which have been excessively simplified by part of contemporary historiography.