Napoleonic Job Applications: from Personal Pleas to Modern Curriculum Vitae in Early 19th-Century Europe

Project Information

NapApps

Grant agreement ID: 101018470

DOI

10.3030/101018470

Project closed

EC signature date 23 February 2021

Start date 1 September 2021

End date 31 August 2024

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 251 002,56

EU contribution

€ 251 002,56

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITA CA' FOSCARI VENEZIA
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - NapApps (Napoleonic Job Applications: from Personal Pleas to Modern Curriculum Vitae in Early 19th-Century Europe)

Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2024-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The NapApps project conducted an extensive analysis of job applications for administrative positions during the Napoleonic era to explore the shift from traditional pleas to modern curricula vitae. By applying statistical text analysis to a vast corpus of archival sources, the project challenged existing interpretations and significantly advanced discussions on the diffusion of the Napoleonic administrative model and its impact on European societies.
The project focused on the effects of removing social barriers and introducing open public employment opportunities following the French Revolution of 1789. The Napoleonic regime, known for its meritocratic ideals, promoted the principle of ‘la carrière ouverte aux talents’ (career open to talent). The project examined the emergence of a professional culture based on knowledge and skills, while also investigating how older notions of merit, rooted in hereditary ethos, coexisted.
Understanding the origins and development of meritocracy, as well as the evolving concept of merit, provides valuable insights into past and contemporary issues related to equality, social mobility, and recognition of individual achievements.
The project analysed a substantial corpus of 800 employment applications for administrative roles in Napoleonic Europe. It assessed the rhetoric and individual characteristics of applicants, addressing how they portrayed themselves, the values they espoused, and the factors influencing their success or failure.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project compiled a comprehensive corpus of 800 administrative job application letters and gathered prosopographical data on their 330 authors who were both French and Italian. This corpus was processed through text-mining techniques, yielding statistical data on word frequency, distinctiveness, co-occurrences, and the use of thematic vocabulary. Additionally, correspondence analysis applied to the applicants’ biographical information allowed to identify distinct profiles. Using various text-mining tools, custom vocabularies were developed to evaluate the presence of terms related to different topics, including family needs, family services, misfortunes and sufferings, knowledge and skills, and personal qualities. A key finding was that French applicants exhibited a notable overuse of vocabulary related to family services. However, there was no significant difference between French and Italian candidates in their use of rhetoric concerning family needs. Correspondence analysis revealed distinctive profiles among candidates willing and unwilling to relocate. Those reluctant to relocate exhibited the features of local notables, being typically middle-aged, affluent men holding municipal positions. Conversely, those open to relocation presented a more diverse profile, reflecting a certain degree of internalisation of new principles. Candidates explicitly seeking career advancement often applied for positions outside their own department, aligning with governmental choices. Qualitative analysis of sources preserved in the State Archives of Milan and Naples enriched the understanding of the situation in the Italian peninsula, highlighting similarities and differences with the Imperial context. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis of select case studies from the Empire and the Italian Satellite Kingdoms uncovered the political motivations behind officials' dismissals and failed re-employment applications. Government decisions were driven by the need to secure local elite support and maintain public order while enforcing conscription and taxation. Consequently, a positive relationship with the local populace was crucial. When this relationship was compromised – due to accusations of misconduct or local disputes – officials were often dismissed and their re-employment applications denied. Overall, the qualitative analysis added significant nuance to the quantitative findings, highlighting the political motivations that were crucial in recruitment and dismissal procedures. This integrated approach has provided a more comprehensive understanding of the dynamics shaping the relationship between rulers and the ruled in Napoleonic Europe.
The project has been disseminated through two journal articles, three forthcoming book chapters, and two forthcoming books (to be published by the end of 2025). The researcher enhanced the project's visibility by organising one workshop and a final conference and participating in approximately 20 events across the U.S. and Europe. Additionally, public engagement was supported through various events and social media promotions.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The project’s use of text mining techniques on 19th-century ‘writing-to-the-power’ sources has made significant contributions to historical research and methodology. While these techniques are well-established for digitised corpora, their application to other sources is less common. This innovative approach has challenged prevailing interpretations of the Napoleonic model by integrating text analysis with prosopographic data. Current scholarship often highlights a cultural clash between Italian and French candidates, with the French convinced of their mission to replace ancient practices with modern values that the Italians could not understand. However, the project’s findings challenge this view. Quantitative analysis of the vocabulary revealed that French candidates employed the traditional rhetoric of family needs similarly to their Italian counterparts. They also emphasized family services, indicating that the traditional concept of merit, based on hereditary attributes, was valued even after the revolution. While correspondence analysis revealed disparities between French and Italian candidates in terms of their backgrounds and desired positions, these differences do not imply a lower degree of professionalism. Similarly, the factors influencing the outcomes of job applications were not directly tied to geographical origin but were more closely associated with attributes such as prior administrative experience or the ability to travel to Paris and leverage powerful recommendation networks. The qualitative analysis of employment applications from the Kingdoms of Italy and Naples has enhanced our understanding of how government decisions interacted with local expectations and political factors. Specifically, the role of officers as mediators has proven crucial in explaining dismissals and unsuccessful re-employment attempts. These political considerations have been integrated with the quantitative text analysis, which shows that successful applications more frequently highlighted personal qualities and family distinction, while references to family needs and sufferings were more common in unsuccessful ones. Methodologically, this integration of text mining into historical research lays the groundwork for further analysis of larger corpora. Historiographically, it confirms that the Napoleonic regime was not particularly receptive to the pleading style of the ancien régime, but it underscores that merit was valued not only as a personal trait but also in relation to family tradition and status. In conclusion, the project has highlighted that the concept of merit in the early 19th century was complex and multifaceted. This insight contributes to the ongoing discourse on the evolution of merit, influenced by cultural contexts, and offers new perspectives on contemporary debates about meritocracy.

Communication_ Veneto Researchers' Night 2023 Photo

Dissemination_ Project Presentation at CESTA (Stanford University) Photo

Dissemination_ Seminars on Early Modern History at Ca' Foscari_ December 2021

Dissemination_ Workshop organized at Stanford_ May 2023

Dissemination_ Final Conference Poster

Dissemination_ Workshop for PhD Students held at La Sapienza

Dissemination_ Workshop at Stanford with Ca' Foscari VeDPH_ October 2022

Communication_ BAC TALKS by ISSNAF Bay Area_ November 2022