Contenu du sommaire

The review as a framework for the discourse on the State doctorate geography thesis (1960-1984) From 1960 to 1984, geographic scientific journals reviewed a great number of theses. Such writings even constituted the main written discourse about the thesis. In addition to their functional aspect, that is to give summaries of long and sometimes inaccessible works, they represented a typical genre of scientific writing. They were a real framework for a discourse on the thesis, corresponding to what the scientific community was expecting in terms of either substance or form. This discourses thus played a regulatory role. Secondarily, French geography underwent a paradigm shift from 1960 to 1984. How did these reviews support this change ?

Subjectivity, sociality, spatiality :The body in geography This article argues that the human body should be considered as a geographical object. The body is still largely unthought of in the field of French geography – very different from the situation in the English language texts–, even if more and more exceptions can be found, particularly since the beginning of the 2000s. Although always present, it never appears clearly in the problems, theories, and methods used or constructed by geographers. The author of this article puts the body in a personal conception of social geography. According to him, the body constitutes the place in which the relations between subject, space, and social factors intersect. The body is considered in five different ways that shed light on its geographical interest. First, it is seen as a space generating spaces, then as a living organism that is both the object and the subject of a human ecology. The article also lays stress on its function as medium allowing individuals to interact and to communicate within social space. The last two parts are devoted to the role the body plays regarding questions of identity : first, it is studied in relation to the self-image it contributes to produce and in relation to the point of view of social distinction ; then it is studied as an incorporation of social, sex-related, gender and territorial dimensions (embodiment).

A geography of residential enclosure in France. What inventory methods for what kind of representation of the phenomenon ? The aim of this paper is to test out two inventory methods that can be used to establish a representation of the geography of residential enclosure with access control in France. The first inventory tool is based on the identification - in promoters' web-sites - of the real estate programs currently on the market which can be considered as gated and provided with control of access. The second method gathers classified advertisements for housing (on sale or for rent), located in a gated and/or secured residence. The geography outline that emerges is marked by ubiquity and territorial discrimination (with a higher concentration in the south of France). Some hypotheses are explored to gain an understanding of the geographical logic of this trend in France.

Large housing estates as urban threats ? Compared discourses – Germany, France, Poland Since the 1960s, large housing estates have shaped the physiognomy of suburbia in Western and Eastern European cities. This paper examines the constitution of meaning of this particular form of housing estate within three different national contexts (Germany, Poland, and France). We identify transnational and specific national discursive patterns that produce both particular social spaces and distinct social orders. A research design in discourse theory allows focusing on social phenomena in their specific context and thus serves as the appropriate frame of reference for such an international comparative study. We assume that the interlinkage of spatial (here/there) and social demarcations (familiar/foreign or safe/unsafe) is constitutive for the discursive production of spaces and social structures. Empirically, we base our study on major national newspapers. Combining corpus linguistic, lexicometric analysis with the analysis of articulation patterns, this paper explores differences and similarities, and ruptures in the discursive constitution of large housing estates.

The cross-border hospital project of Puigcerdà : the difficulties of cross-border health cooperation Focused on the project of construction of the common cross-border hospital of Puigcerdà (Spain), this paper deals with the difficulties of cross-border cooperation in Europe. After providing a presentation of the context (first part), the paper presents the rise of the project (second part), its difficulties and the stakes involved in health care provision as well as territorial organization at several scales (third part). Results show that the project is supported by local key actors, some of them having exercised national responsibilities. Moreover, the territorial cohesion across the border and the sense of common identity as well as complementarities in health care facilities in French and Spanish Cerdanya are other positive factors. But these particular local factors have to be considered with the contrasts between French and Catalan health care systems. This contradiction may explain the slowness in realizing the project. To summarize, this example of a common hospital project suggests that administrative, statutory and financial aspects are major obstacles for cross-border health care cooperation.

Diaspora, development and urbanization : returning Burkinabè migrants key players in Ouagadougou urban projects ZACA and Ouaga 2000 (Burkina Faso) In the context of a new research project concerning the link between migration and urbanization, this article seeks to explain how migrants, through their investments, contribute to the urban fabric of their country of origin and become key players in the development of cities. The return of the Burkinabè from the Ivory Coast, considered by the Burkina government of B. Compaoré as a risk of economic and social destabilization, has generated a new vision of the migration phenomenon. The Burkinabè coming from foreign countries used to be disregarded, but are now considered as potential developers. Since 2002, the public and private sectors have been setting up schemes not only to facilitate but also to orient their investment projects in the country. The process involves channelling migrants'money towards two big urban projects in Ouagadougou, ZACA and Ouaga 2000, which must display the thriving advance and modernity of a dynamic capital. The migrants, formerly initiators of development projects, now fit into urban projects already devised by the State according to a western model. At the centre of policies set up to make use of them, they seem to be losing their autonomy, but their ability to re-appropriate the urban projects remains.