By Marlene L. Daut
I honestly love history podcasts so much, and it was therefore a true honor to talk about Napoléon Bonaparte with Dr. Claire Aubin, host of the widely acclaimed show "This Guy Sucked."
We covered life in the French Caribbean under slavery and Napoleonic rule, and then I filled in all the bits that weren’t covered in high school or their previous Napoléon episode. For example, the Haitian Revolution, the genocidal methods Napoléon's army used to try to restore slavery in Saint-Domingue (today Haiti), and the consequences of Napoléon's reinstatement of slavery elsewhere in France's overseas colonies.
As historians, we are usually taught to refrain from passing judgement on historical figures, but Napoléon really was a terrible human who caused untold and unquantifiable harm, and in this episode, I explain why we really should pass all the judgement on him (and all the other white supremacists and perpetrators of crimes against humanity).
For those who have been following my work for a while, you know that I detest the phrase “man of his time,” which reactionaries and apologists alike often use to excuse the terrible behavior of white (male) historical figures. I have written many articles about why this idea that dead white men can't be judged is a huge cop-out, especially, when it comes to powerful people like Napoléon Bonaparte and Thomas Jefferson. In lieu of a longer blog post about that thorny and unwieldy topic (deserving of its own book, surely!), here are two of my pieces discussing why it's problematic to use the phrase "man of his time" as a framework for understanding a person's life and their role in history:
Many Americans may want to re-write US history on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, but in this article for Essence magazine, I discussed why we have to get real about clichéd excuses for past abuses.
Napoleon Isn’t a Hero to Celebrate
For the New York Times, I wrote about how institutions in France should pay more attention to their country’s history of slavery instead of honoring Napoléon, an icon of white supremacy.
And on this cold December day, that's a wrap! I wish you all sage reading and bountiful learning, friends!
(Image Credit: Grégory Pierrot, 2021)