Régis Debray Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Régis Debray

Born	Jules Régis Debray (1940-09-02) 2 September 1940 (age 84) Paris, France
Occupation	Journalist, writer, academic
Language	French
Nationality	French
Alma mater	École Normale Supérieure Pantheon-Sorbonne University
Genre	Philosophy, current events
Notable awards	Prix Femina Prix Décembre

Jules Régis Debray (born 2 September 1940) is a French philosopher, journalist, and academic. He is known for his ideas about how culture and ideas spread through society over time. He also became famous for working with the revolutionary Che Guevara in Bolivia in 1967. Later, he supported Salvador Allende's time as president in Chile in the early 1970s. After returning to France in 1973, he held several important jobs in the French government.

Régis Debray's Early Life and Studies

Régis Debray was born in Paris, France. He went to a famous school called the École Normale Supérieure. There, he was taught by a well-known philosopher named Louis Althusser. In 1960, he even appeared as himself in a documentary movie called Chronique d'un été. By 1965, he had become a qualified philosophy teacher.

Time in Latin America (1960s-1970s)

In the late 1960s, Debray taught philosophy at the University of Havana in Cuba. He became close with Che Guevara, a famous revolutionary leader, in Bolivia. Debray wrote a book called Revolution in the Revolution? This book looked at the plans and ideas used by socialist groups in Latin America. It was like a guide for guerrilla warfare, which is a type of fighting used by small groups against larger armies. The book was published in many countries.

Debray talking about his time in prison in Bolivia after he was released.

In April 1967, Debray was arrested in Bolivia. He was accused of being part of Che Guevara's guerrilla group. In November, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison. However, many famous people around the world, like Jean-Paul Sartre and Pope Paul VI, asked for his release. He was set free in 1970.

After his release, Debray went to Chile. There, he wrote another book called The Chilean Revolution (1972) after talking with Salvador Allende, who was the president of Chile at the time.

Debray in a magazine in 1970

Debray returned to France in 1973. This was after a military takeover in Chile led by Augusto Pinochet.

Régis Debray's Government Work

When François Mitterrand became President of France in 1981, Debray became one of his official advisers on foreign affairs. In this role, he worked to help France act more freely in the world and be less dependent on the United States. He also tried to improve relationships with countries that used to be French colonies. Debray was also involved in planning official events, like the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution. He left this job in 1988.

Until the mid-1990s, he held several other official positions in France. This included an honorary role at France's highest administrative court, the Conseil d'État. In 1996, he published a book about his life.

Later Work and Ideas

Debray at a philosophy discussion in 2016.

In 2003, Debray was part of the Stasi Commission. This group looked into the reasons behind a French law about laïcité, which means the separation of church and state. The law aimed to keep citizens equal by not allowing obvious religious symbols in schools. Debray supported this law. He also thought that religious topics in school history lessons should be handled carefully.

Debray is also interested in the situation of Christian groups in the Middle East. He has set up a group to watch over their situation. His recent work explores how religion can help societies connect and guide people over long periods of time. This led him to suggest creating a French institute in 2005. This institute studies how religions change in society and shares information with the public.

What is Mediology?

Régis Debray started and is a main supporter of a field of study called médiologie, or "mediology". This field tries to study in a scientific way how cultural ideas and meanings are passed on in society. This can happen through language, images, or other ways. Mediology uses ideas from many different subjects.

In his book Vie et mort de l'image (Life and Death of Image, 1995), Debray looked at the history of how we see images. He described three main types of images: the icon, the idol, and the vision. He also made it clear that mediology is different from just studying mass media.

Debray also questioned some common ideas about the history of art. He argued that "art" as we know it today, with artists creating images, really began during the Renaissance. Before that, many images, like religious icons, were not mainly made for artistic reasons but for religious ones.

Régis Debray's Current Views

In 2007, Debray wrote an article in the newspaper Le Monde. He criticized how French politics seemed to be becoming more conservative. He also worried about the effect of the "videosphere" (meaning the world of television and digital media) on modern politics. He felt it made everything too focused on individuals and made people forget the past and the future.

He also criticized newer politicians, saying they were skilled but lacked strong ideas. He encouraged voters to support the "left of the left" in politics. He wanted to end what he saw as "anti-politics," which he felt had become too much like political marketing.