Michel Chevalier and the Saint-Simonian legacy: Early roots of modern cross-national comparative communication research

Abstract

Michel Chevalier (1806–1879) and Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859) were two French contemporaries who on separate assignments travelled through North America on behalf of their government and consequently published their observations. Despite the fact that Chevalier’s analysis of the Jacksonian United States seems philosophically more consistent and theoretically better funded, in the course of the twentieth century it was almost completely overshadowed by Tocqueville’s legacy. Furthermore, Chevalier’s primary focus on communication/transportation systems makes him a unique source for scholars interested in the history of communication research. By pointing out some of the most interesting empirical observations and philosophical reflections that epitomize Chevalier’s intellectual heritage, this essay attempts to put a spotlight on his often ignored, yet pivotal position among the early nineteenth-century founders of modern social research, especially his contribution to the field of cross-national comparative communication research.