Esthétique et exclusion raciale: I'argument du `miracle grec' dans l'Essai sur l'inégalité des races humaines de Gobineau

The article attempts to establish the importance of æsthetic concerns in Gobineau's Essai sur l'inégalité des races humaines and underlines the key role played by æsthetic arguments in Gobineau's demonstration of his racial theories. A central point in his argumentation is a particular conception of Greek art, essentially inspired by Winckelmann, which was already considered obsolete several decades before Gobineau wrote the Essai. The article's hypothesis for Gobineau's deliberate ignorance of more recent theories and information on Greek art is that, by taking them into consideration, one of the major keystones of his racial theories would have been removed, thus shattering the whole edifice. (In French) (FMT)