Marie-Emmanuelle Chessel

Marie-Emmanuelle Chessel is a CNRS Research Director at Sciences Po Paris, affiliated with the Department of History, Center for the Sociology of Organizations (CSO), and Center for History (CHSP). She holds an HDR (Habilitation to Direct Research) from EHESS and a doctorate from the European University Institute of Florence.

• 2009: HDR in History, EHESS
• 1996: Doctorate in History and Civilization, European University Institute of Florence

Her research centers on 20th-century French economic and social history, specializing in consumption history, employers' organizations, and Christian circles' social activism. She examines how market experts and consumer associations constructed consumer society, investigates business leadership training methods, and analyzes Christian circles' role in empirical surveys and social practices. Her work consistently explores transnational circulations of ideas and practices.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a focused exploration of Catholic influence in consumer surveys, transatlantic diffusion of management techniques (particularly the American case study method in post-war France), and the intersection of religious activism with business and consumption. She employs historical case studies to bridge economic history with sociological insights, emphasizing how Christian social practices shaped market creation and labor relations during the Trente Glorieuses.

Her most significant recognition:

• CNRS Silver Medal (2014)

Chessel mentors students in Sciences Po's Department of History and serves on the CNRS National Committee (2019-2021) and the French Association of Contemporary Religious History board (2020-2023). As Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Le Mouvement Social and editorial board member for multiple journals, she actively shapes academic discourse in historical and sociological fields.

She contributes to the CSO's CRISIS Lab and leads the CATH-CONSO project on Catholicism's role in food consumption surveys and EURASEMPLOI comparing employment uncertainty in Europe and Asia. Her work integrates historical analysis with contemporary debates on corporate social responsibility and market ethics.