From the ‘science’ of practices to management science: milestones for a history of management education in France (1900s-2000s)

France is not usually perceived as a Nation of Managers and Management even if Frenchmen, like H. Fayol could probably be considered as one of the inventors of modern Management. Another misconception about France is that most of its modern management models and methods have been imported from the USA after WWII. Does this mean that nothing existed before this time in France? This paper aims to provide a contribution to this debate by offering a study of French Management Education. A historical journey back to the early roots of French management Education is required to confirm or interrogate the possible existence of a management ‘à la française’.