Un médiateur entre deux univers concurrents de l'« État social » : Édouard Fuster et les congrès internationaux des assurances sociales

A man of many hats within what has been termed the "reformist nebula," Édouard Fuster began his "social career" by attending international conferences on social security from the early 1890s. This article seeks to shed light on this early involvement by putting it in the context of an international association designed as both a marketplace of competing and complementary ideas, and a network of experts, if not an epistemic community. A key figure in these conferences, Fuster worked well beyond his ordinary duties as Secretary to the Comité Permanent International, significant as they were. Not only was he editor of the Congress Bulletin, he also served, not least thanks to his excellent knowledge of languages, as a central intermediary between members hailing from German-speaking countries and their Latin colleagues most notably. Last but not least, Fuster made a name for himself in taking on a dual combat. He simultaneously fought in favor of his very own visions of an ideal insurance regime, as well as for the definition of a social insurance statistical standard, in France and at an international level.