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En 1687, un groupe de cinq érudits jésuites français, portant le titre de « mathématiciens du roi », s’est aventuré dans l’Empire Qing, annonçant l’entrée de la France sur le devant de la scène de la mission jésuite en Chine. Agissant en tant qu’intermédiaires entre Paris/Versailles et Pékin, les jésuites français ont apporté d’importantes contributions aux échanges scientifiques, notamment dans les domaines des mathématiques, de l’astronomie et de la cartographie. En comparaison avec leurs contributions dans ces domaines, leurs œuvres en histoire naturelle restent peu étudiées. La thèse explore les œuvres d’histoire naturelle produites au début de la mission jésuite française en Chine. Les études d’histoire naturelle menées par les jésuites français se sont développées en étroite association avec leurs activités cartographiques en Asie de …

La Grande Paix de Montréal consacre en 1701 la diplomatie franco-amérindienne, soulignant les adaptations culturelles qui permettent de mettre en place une paix et une alliance générale entre la Nouvelle-France et les nations du Pays d’en Haut. Nous avons voulu nous intéresser dans notre étude à la décennie qui suit ce traité, et à la manière dont les relations diplomatiques entre Français et Autochtones à Montréal se développent dans la continuité au début du XVIIIe siècle. En étudiant la correspondance coloniale que s’échangent les agents de la monarchie entre Versailles et Montréal, nous avons appliqué une analyse des discours afin de mieux comprendre la manière dont ces relations diplomatiques évoluent, et comment Montréal joue un rôle central en tant que cadre urbain de ces négociations. …

The two storms Martin (1999) and Klaus (2009) contributed to reveal the shift growing between the forest of Landes of Gascony (France), its sector, and territorial dynamics characterized by the increasing of residential mobility, tourism and leisure. Considering the particular influence of the forest on this space and the current trends of diversification - uses and territories -, this article explores how forest could take part with the emergence of new collectives and new territorial combinations intermingling residential and sectorial changes. Based on the “actor network” theory, this paper examines the diversity of the socials ties with the forest and their reciprocal “tying”. Forest appears then as a space operator which generates, assembles and dissociates a multiplicity of ties. Following a foresight study conducted between 2010 and 2012, this article begins with a presentation of this forest area which has long been regarded as a ”desert”, and the transformation of the different styles of attachment that construct the forest according to its insertion into different domains of reality (the economy, nature, the social and the cultural). The last part of the article explores, within three concrete territories of Landes of Gascony, the plurality of forms of articulation between the different styles of attachment, and the possible becomings of those assemblages in terms of entanglement and exclusion.

Keywords: Landes de Gascogne, forêt, filière, territoire rural, multifonctionnalité, écologisation, développement local, théorie de l'acteur-réseau, géographie, prospective, Landes of Gascony, Forest, Forest based-sector, Rural area, Multi-functionality, Environment, Local Development, Actor Network Theory, Geography, Foresight

Engaging a discussion between literature and case studies, this article aims to wonder how sociology can take ownership of environmental issues, while social demands for expertise, formulation of standards and inter-disciplinarity have never been stronger. Such expectations are even more specific in the context of environmental controversies. Sociology takes part in the constitution of the field of “environmental sciences” and is therefore, anchored between the two postures of expertise and commitment. The professional experiences of the two authors are at the heart of this reflection. Both in the teaching of sociology and in the participation in research projects, involving other scientific disciplines, knowledge production and sharing can be limited by the partial impossibility to lead a scientific protocol. Is it necessary to give up for all that the idea of inter-disciplinarity between various scientific fields? Is it necessary to put aside the implication of the sociologist in concrete projects, based on an expertise founded on a fundamental research? In the third part of this article, the posture of the committed sociologist - scholarship with commitment (Bourdieu, 2002) – will be revisited not only from the analysis of several situations of research, but also from various experiences in professional structures, in which the sociologist was invited to propose measures serving as basis for action.

Keywords: sociologie, controverses environnementales, expertise, interdisciplinarité, engagement, distanciation, sociology, environnemental controversies, expertise, inter-disciplinarity, commitment, distancing

French environmental public policies on biodiversity are designed drawing upon scientific expertise. The framework of this expertise has been deeply remodeled in the past decade through a series of reforms and the creation of new institutions. This exploratory study was based on interviews with stakeholders working at the interface between scientific knowledge and political action. The concept of “expertise” describes the difficult and complicated relationship between science and action, which is not specific to biodiversity policies but which lead to a feeling of uneasiness for scientists and policymakers. The reforms engaged in the last decade are then often justified by this uneasiness described by interviewees when thinking about expertise processes. However, our results indicate that the recent institutional proliferation is perceived as unsettling by both scientists and policymakers, comforting the existing difficulties. To go beyond these difficulties and meet the demand for expertise, experts adopt what can be described as three archetypal postures – ensuring sound science as “guarantors”, defending conservation principles as “guardians”, or working closely with policymakers as “agents”. "The influence of "guarantors" and "agents" has grown" over time at the expense of traditional “guardians”. Results are analyzed with regard to the strategic stakes of each stakeholder and to the recent changes in academic and political actions. Finally, new research perspectives are discussed to enlarge our results.

Keywords: expertise, interface science/politique, politiques publiques environnementales, analyse stratégique, biodiversité, science, politiques, expertise, science-policy interface, environmental public policies, strategic analysis, biodiversity, science, policies

This article explores the values attributed to nature and how they are articulated in a particular territory, the French sub-Antarctic islands. Since these islands do not have permanent populations and are not exploited for their biological or mining resources, the values directly utilitarian are not present there, and the other types of values are expressed more widely than in more classical situations. By conducting sociological surveys of the residents of Kerguelen and on board the Marion Dufresne, we were able to draw up a typology of the values expressed and how they were assigned by the individuals. Most of the values identified are plural, such as values of authenticity, affective, spiritual, or science-related values, and are expressed in different ways. However, we did not observe any significant variations based on social categorizations such as age, gender or occupational status. We have distinguished the « value-principle » from the « values-object », that is, the different attributes of nature that are endowed with value. We were then able to study the modes of adherence to these values, which can be shared or cleavant, and compare them with their legitimacy to justify the principles of action.

Keywords: valeurs de la nature, valeur intrinsèque, services écosystémiques, biodiversité, Kerguelen, subantarctique, Marion Dufresne, values of nature, intrinsic value, ecosystem services, biodiversity, Kerguelen, subantarctic, Marion Dufresne

Health Impact Assessments (HIA), promoted by WHO, are generally presented as a process supporting decision-making in favor of health. HIA differs from other forms of policy assessments as it relies on core values among which democracy, equity and sustainable development. It is also characterized by a cross-sectional approach based on the diversity of health determinants that are taken into account. Beyond decision-making, we explored the capacity of the HIA process to generate a collective (social) learning among participants. We questioned its ability to facilitate the emergence of a common culture on health, its determinants, and urban planning. Here we report on our experience of an HIA conducted on a large urban project in the west of Paris. We pursued an open approach allowing municipal agents to actively participate in the process, and learn about the project in general, using health as a new lens for the appraisal. The participants, originating from several departments, were involved in collective working sessions. Their contribution was sought for the elaboration of a set of assessment criteria, linking health determinants with the major issues of sustainable development, then focusing on the assessment of the urban project through a global deliberation. At the end of the HIA process, participants were asked to respond to a survey regarding their opinion on the whole process and the benefits they perceived. Responses seem in support of the relevance of our approach, favoring the participants' engagement and allowing them to widen their perspectives, beyond their usual field of competences. The HIA process, which included municipal agents, and the discussion that was generated throughout, were perceived as a means to objectivize and federate opinions on issues that are not, or seldom, considered explicitly by urban planners.

Keywords: évaluation des impacts sur la santé, apprentissage social, développement durable, équité en santé, aménagement et urbanisme, health impact assessment, social learning, sustainability, equity in health, land use, urban planning

This paper explores the potential role of public properties in the maintenance or redevelopment of urban agriculture. It is based on a spatial analyzis of public properties, public acquisitions and on in-depth interviews in Montpellier city region. The results show that the public properties represent a considerable spatial extent, but less than half of the surfaces has an interest for agriculture due to land fragmentation, the specific features of land or urbanization perspectives. Agriculture remains marginal in public land strategies. Public and parapublic land acquisition and management are rarely coordinated. However, some local authorities develop strategies for farmland protection. Other public bodies turn to agriculture to maintain the land in their possession. They show that public properties could thus become a lever to maintain or redevelop agriculture on the urban fringe.

Keywords: inventaire foncier, agriculture urbaine, protection du foncier agricole, gouvernance, land inventory, urban agriculture, farmland preservation, governance