Alain Dalotel, born on February 24, 1943, in Suresnes, France, and died on May 29, 2020, in Bagnolet, France, at the age of 77, was a French historian specializing in the Paris Commune of 1871. He published numerous books and articles between 1978 and 2006 before ceasing his activities following a stroke.
Alain Dalotel led an atypical career as an employee of a pension fund while simultaneously developing an independent academic path, marked by his involvement in the social struggles of the post-1968 era. He was one of the first non-baccalaureate-holding working students at the University of Vincennes, where he prepared a doctoral thesis under the supervision of Jacques Rougerie entitled "Outline of a History of the Democratic and Social Republic in Popincourt: 1870-1871." He rejected a traditional academic career to pursue engaged research on the popular figures of the Commune, such as Ranvier, Avrial, Amouroux, and Raoul Rigault. A working-class activist with revolutionary ideals, he contributed to journals like Gavroche, the Bulletin des Amis de la Commune de Paris, and the Revue d’histoire du XIXe siècle, while also participating in conferences on Benoît Malon.
His work emphasized the social origins of the Commune, the barricades, the Communards' prisons, and revolutionary women, such as André Léo, whom he portrayed as a contemporary figure rejecting sectarian indoctrination. He highlighted historiographical innovation, for example, by placing the event in its pre-1871 context, and championed "grassroots" heroes to inspire contemporary struggles.
In the mid-2000s, a severe stroke forced him to cease his activities, leading to a gradual withdrawal. He died on May 29, 2020 in Bagnolet, Seine-Saint-Denis, at the age of 77. His death was announced in several tributes and bulletins from historical associations which portrayed him as a committed man, generous with advice and discussions.
