Thomas shaw (1692-1751) a tunis et alger : missionnaire de la curiosite europeenne

par Zehor Zizi

Thèse de doctorat en Études anglaises

Sous la direction de Ann Thomson.

Soutenue en 1995

à Caen .

mots clés

Résumé

Dans l'abondante litterature de voyages du 18eme siecle, les voyages de shaw (1ere ed. 1738), furent longtemps - et sont encore - consideres comme l'ouvrage de reference sur les deux regences turques de tunis et d'alger. Shaw profita de son long sejour a alger (1720-1732) en qualite de chapelain du consulat anglais pour visiter l'egypte, l'arabie, la palestine, la syrie et la tunisie. Donnees geographiques et cartographiques, catalogue des especes animales et des plantes du maghreb, renseignements geologiques et archeologiques soigneusement agences en rubriques distinctes, font de l'oeuvre un traite encyclopedique davantage qu'un recit de voyages. Prenant appui sur la correspondance inedite du voyageur et ses manuscrits, nous nous sommes attachee a montrer que le livre de shaw repond aux nouvelles exigences de la royal society de londres, societe savante soucieuse de mettre a contribution les voyageurs pour la realisation de son programme d'elargissement de la connaissance du monde. La description des regences barbaresques de tunis et d'alger fut commanditee par hans sloane, president de la royal society, qui echangea une correspondance suivie avec shaw a partir de 1729. L'observation du monde physique de la "barbarie" a des soubassements religieux importants. Sature de citations bibliques, le livre est aussi un ouvrage d'apologetique chretienne. Cependant, la primaute accordee a l'observation du monde physique ne laisse que peu de place a la realite humaine des pays parcourus. Portion residuelle de l'oeuvre, les chapitres sociologique et politique montrent combien douze annees de sejour a alger n'ont en rien ebranle les prejuges de l'auteur contre le monde islamique en general. Il convient d'ajouter en outre que la mise en rapport de sa correspondance inedite et de son oeuvre publiee nous a montre a maintes reprises que l'honnetete n'est pas la vertu dominante du voyageur. Il restera longtemps, toutefois, le plus utile des informateurs sur cette region du monde, notamment pour les explorateurs militaires de la conquete coloniale de l'algerie.

Titre traduit

Thomas shaw (1692-1751) at tunis and algiers : a missionary of european curiosity

Résumé

Of all the eighteenth-century travel books concerning the turkish regencies of tunis and algiers, thomas shaw's travels or observations (1738) were - and still are - considered the most complete. They were to become the reference work of all european visitors of "barbary" who travelled in his footsteps. The book was the outcome of shaw's twelve years' residence at algiers as chaplain of the british consulate. He also took advantage of his long residence at algiers to visit egypt, arabia, syria, palestine as well as tunisia. His travels are not a travel narrative but a fastidious catalogue of geographical and cartographical observations, of the plants, agricultural products and animals of "barbary". Geological as well as archeological information hold an importance place in the traveller's accoun t. Relying on his unpublished correspondence and manuscripts, we have set out to demonstrate that his book of travels was actually written in answer to a request of hans sloane, then president of the royal society of london. As sloane's correspondent between 1729-1736, shaw was one of those residents abroad whom the royal society was anxious to enlist in the service of its programme of improvement of natural knowledge. In addition, this observation of the natural world of the two barbary states had a deep religious significance. It was carried out to prove the existence of a divine providence and the book of travels, as we have attempted to show, is also a work of christian apologetics. The sociological and political realities of tunisia and algeria seem to have but little aroused the writer's interest. The description of the local populations and the government is disconcertingly poor and his exceptionally long residence at algiers has hardly contributed to mitigate his deep-seated hostility to the islamic world in general. It must also be noted that the collation of his unpublished correspondence and the printed version of his travels gives ample evidence that his intellectual probity is not above suspicion. Nevertheless, shaw remained, well into the nineteenth century, the most useful informant of all the european visitors in north-africa, and notably of the military explorers during the colonial conquest of algeria.