Contenu du sommaire

GMOs : from genetic to geographical modifications ? Although GMOs do not have a strong presence in western European agriculture, the European Union is aiming to promote the coexistence of such GMOs and conventional crops. This policy is based on two principles. It strives to maintain freedom of choice for farmers or consumers while considering environmental and health risks. How is this European policy tending to promote this coexistence and what are the associated spatial scenarios ? What are the geographical implications of such coexistence and the possible contribution of the geographer tothisdebate ?

The place of small towns in geographical research in France : From simple monograph to test territory Research on small towns in France has changed since the 1950s. The hypothesis is that its evolution is quite similar to that of geographical research in general. Papers were initially focused on monographic, regional and rural studies. Subsequently, over the past two decades, they have more frequently examined socio-cultural issues, in an increasingly urban environment. Even if research on secondary towns has never received the attention it deserves in urban geography, the small town has always been studied and is nowadays considered more and more as an interesting territory for cross-analysis of geography and space planning. Starting as a “singular” territory, it has become a “test” territory through the integration of urban issues such as economic strategies, social changes, heritage development or cultural policies.

Reassessing the place of agriculture at the time of the Grand Paris project In this article, our viewpoint is to consider the development of the Paris Region from the small importance given to agricultural areas around the city. In the first part, we study the official urban planning documents. The place of agriculture in these documents, remains marginal ; it seems to be important only for the inhabitants living just around the agricultural areas. The second part shows our analysis of more than six hundred interviews made in several agricultural areas. It appears that the attachment of inhabitants to the open agricultural areas is considerably underestimated. This attachment to agricultural areas is not, in our view, a NIMBY reflex because the fight against urbanization is not the main raison to defend agriculture : the question of a balanced development of the Paris Region is always raised. We cannot say only that these agricultural areas are “useful” for biodiversity, landscape or local supplies. These areas are sources of identity ; they help people to know who they are, individually and collectively. They are good places for stakeholders to build common projects, to find new synergies and think differently about a sustainable development of the Paris Region.

Ambiguous impressions of a bygone country, the Brazil in Conrad Malte-Brun's Géographie universelle The chapter on Brazil in Conrad Malte-Brun's Géographie Universelle (1835) is a valuable source on a bygone country, still largely unexplored, rural and where slavery was still practised. Although organized into traditional sections, the text contains original notations, sometimes frankly subjective. This regional thematic journey through Brazil gives the illusory impression of a country as a mosaic, where the Indians are both feared and despised, while another major component of the population –black slaves imported from Africa- is almost completely absent.