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Édouard Dolléans (1877-1954) est surtout connu pour son Histoire du mouvement ouvrier (1830 à nos jours) qui le consacra en tant qu’historien. Malgré cette reconnaissance, il évolua à la marge du champ historique, oscillant entre le savant et le politique. Comment, après la Seconde Guerre mondiale, en dépit de sa position et de sa mise à l’écart de l’Université dès octobre 1944, se retrouve-t-il à jouer les premiers rôles dans la création de l’Institut français d’histoire sociale ? Cet article remonte le fil de sa trajectoire, par ses versants historiographique et institutionnel, mais aussi philosophique et politique.

Édouard Dolléans (1877-1954) is mainly known for his Histoire du mouvement ouvrier (1830 à nos jours) (History of the Workers’ Movement, from 1830 to the present) which made his name as a historian. Despite this recognition, he remained on the margins of the historical field, oscillating between the scholar and the politician. How does he, after the Second World War, find himself playing a prominent role in the foundation of the Institut français d’histoire sociale (French Institute of Social History), despite his position and his being sidelined from the University as early as 1944? This article is an attempt to retrace his trajectory by looking back in turn at his historiographical and institutional path, as well as his philosophical and political journey.