- Agriculture, Terrains & Travaux, Anthropology, Political Science, Organic agriculture, Sustainable agriculture, and 10 moreAgriculture and Food Studies, STS (Anthropology), Global (North/South) Environmental Politics, Global Environmental Governance, Environmental Sociology, Political Ecology, James G. Carrier, Mexico, Edgar Morin, and Climate Changeedit
Thispaper starts from the premise that at the Rio+20 Summit, history has repeated itself and that the same expectations raised by bioprospecting 20 years ago are now attached to the market-based instruments associated with conservation... more
Thispaper starts from the premise that at the Rio+20 Summit, history has repeated itself and that the same expectations raised by bioprospecting 20 years ago are now attached to the market-based instruments associated with conservation policies (Payments for environmental services, REDD mechanisms, biodiversity offsets,...). The promise that market mechanisms are best suited to reach biodiversity conservation goals has been renewed. Building on Polanyian definition of fictitious commodities and on the idea of the ‘economy of promises’ (developed by P.B. Joly in relation to biotechnologies and nanotechnologies), we argue that beyond their ideological foundations, market mechanisms require complex institutional arrangements that are often irrelevant and ineffective in reaching theirenvironmental objectives.These various market-based or market-like arrangements rely on the reasserted promise of a synergy between market and conservation rather than on actual market mechanisms. They are supposedly meant as conservation tools. However, they rather foster the development of amarket for consulting and economic expertise in conservation issues, the growth and perpetuation of which depend on the renewal of this promise, in the form of changing institutional arrangements and mechanisms.
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Les maïs des indiens zapotèques des montagnes du Mexique sont « contaminés » par la présence de transgènes échappés des laboratoires biotechs nord-américains. Ce croisement inattendu est bien plus qu’une simple question environnementale... more
Les maïs des indiens zapotèques des montagnes du Mexique sont « contaminés » par la présence de transgènes échappés des laboratoires biotechs nord-américains. Ce croisement inattendu est bien plus qu’une simple question environnementale ou sanitaire, c’est un véritable choc quant aux différentes façons de se représenter l’agriculture, l’alimentation, la propriété, la connaissance et même la vie. Les maïs transgéniques, produits phares des biotechnologies agricoles, représentent en effet une redéfinition radicale du vivant, à l’heure où émerge la notion trouble de biodiverité comme nouvelle façon de parler de la nature. Ils incarnent aussi le rêve hyper-moderne d’une alliance entre science et technologie, au service d’un marché tout puissant, quand la crise écologique globale met justement en évidence les limites du contrôle humain sur son environnement et la nécessité de repenser le lien entre nature et culture. Finalement, on peut même se demander si ce micro-drame qui se joue dans les montagnes mexicaines ne renvoie pas à des conflits beaucoup plus fondamentaux autour de la redéfinition de notre époque moderne, bouleversée par le processus de globalisation.
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Bioprospecting agreements and REDD are both based on the promise of market environmental efficiency. By adapting the concept of the “economy of promises” (developed by Science, Technology and Society scholars, regarding technological... more
Bioprospecting agreements and REDD are both based on the promise of market environmental efficiency. By adapting the concept of the “economy of promises” (developed by Science, Technology and Society scholars, regarding technological innovation) and applying it to institutional and political innovation, this paper analyses the rhetorical dimensions, the performativity, and the implementation of bioprospecting agreements and PES. We argue that the strength of these mechanisms lies in their performativity — in particular, in their ability to shape institutions in a neo-liberal fashion, rather than in their actualisation as markets or their environmental achievements, which are both incomplete and difficult to accomplish. Far from realising the free-market ideal that they are purported to achieve, these mechanisms actually perform incomplete commodification, they require complex institutional arrangements in order to be effective, and they give rise to a low volume of transactions. The economy of promises provides a fresh and complementary reading of the neo-liberalisation of nature as a complex of discursive, institutional and material dimensions.
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The climate has become a major stake in international cooperation. The sociologist Jean Foyer, who observed the COP21 at Le Bourget (France) in December 2015, considers the major trends and defining moments of the latest round of climate... more
The climate has become a major stake in international cooperation. The sociologist Jean Foyer, who observed the COP21 at Le Bourget (France) in December 2015, considers the major trends and defining moments of the latest round of climate negotiations. Last December, during the COP21, Paris became, for two weeks, a massive forum for discussing climate related issues. Along the sidelines of the Le Bourget negotiations, which were the heart of the event, a large number of presentations, debates, and exhibits helped to turn the COP21 into a happening. Hundreds of official side-events, including the alternative village at Montreuil, the Climate Generation areas, the Climate Action Zone (ZAC) at the Cent-Quatre, the two Solutions Galleries (at the Grand Palais and Le Bourget), and the Global Landscape Forum at the Palais des Congrès made it clear that the theme of climate change lends itself to very different perspectives and modalities. This essay will dwell less on the progress made on the diplomatic front than on the way in which the world of climate change has become a laboratory for global governance, with its own geopolitics, power relations, tenacious structures, and emerging ideas. Specifically, it will analyze what one might call the symmetrical processes of the globalization of the climate, on the one hand, and the " climatization of the globe, " on the other. Indeed, the climate regime is continuously expanding, incorporating new themes and actors, even as the latter redefine their activities in climatic terms. We will, in particular, examine this phenomena's various iterations (which sectors have been redefined by the climate regime?), its causes (how are we to explain the climate regime's appeal?), and the different forms it assumes. Beyond this process, we shall also consider three points that, in our view, marked this COP21, namely a readjustment of the North-South equilibrium, a new spirit of international law, and, finally, the evolving role of civil society. The Climate Arena: A Global Totem? The COP21 was a further and most likely important step in what we have described as the dialogical relationship between the globalization of the climate and the " climatization " of the globe. Over the past twenty years, the climate issue has indeed become globalized, as it has expanded, incorporating many other problems (notably development and energy) that arise in negotiations (Dahan et al., 2009), while also extending to different social spaces, in ways that involve a wide range of actors. Conversely, the world has simultaneously become " climatized " to the extent that many actors have seized upon this issue in order to formulate their interests in climatic terms. In Paris, this dual movement was operating at its full potential. Climate has become an issue that is no longer construed exclusively as a scientific and political matter of planetary concern, but also and most importantly as one that can crystallize a broad array of issues that transcend distinctions between scientific, environmental, and economic concerns. Over and above the problem of global warming, the climate is more than ever a metaphor for the world's problems, a global controversy replete with the faults, preoccupations, and competing visions of the
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In their work of reference about climate change governance, Stefan Aykut and Amy Dahan propose the concept of « schism with reality » to describe series of gaps between this governance and different scientific, geopolitical and temporal... more
In their work of reference about climate change governance, Stefan Aykut and Amy Dahan propose the concept of « schism with reality » to describe series of gaps between this governance and different scientific, geopolitical and temporal realities. We come back to this central theory that we discuss threw three main points: the links between governance and governability, rationality in and between science and politics, and conflict of temporality. Finally, we give some news of the schism after COP21.
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A collaborative research to analyse the COP 21 in Paris: ClimaCOP project. ClimaCOP is a collaborative research project that focuses on the December 2015 COP21 Climate Conference in Paris. It brings together a diverse group of social... more
A collaborative research to analyse the COP 21 in Paris: ClimaCOP project. ClimaCOP is a collaborative research project that focuses on the December 2015 COP21 Climate Conference in Paris. It
brings together a diverse group of social scientists all working on environmental issues. The originality of the ClimaCOP project results from its focus on the dialogical movement between the “globalization of the climate” and the “climatization of the world”. The climate issue has become a global one in the sense
that it has “taken on” new issues such as development or energy; issues that transcend the sole environmental framework. Simultaneously, a growing number of actors have started to “climatize” their discourses.
They are re-framing their primary areas of work (for instance agriculture or biodiversity) in “climate terms”. The ClimaCOP project’s originality also stems from its collaborative methodology. This should enable us to better apprehend a transnational mega-event such as the COP21, characterized by
the number and diversity of actors involved, the meetings, initiatives, and discussions organized, and the issues addressed.
brings together a diverse group of social scientists all working on environmental issues. The originality of the ClimaCOP project results from its focus on the dialogical movement between the “globalization of the climate” and the “climatization of the world”. The climate issue has become a global one in the sense
that it has “taken on” new issues such as development or energy; issues that transcend the sole environmental framework. Simultaneously, a growing number of actors have started to “climatize” their discourses.
They are re-framing their primary areas of work (for instance agriculture or biodiversity) in “climate terms”. The ClimaCOP project’s originality also stems from its collaborative methodology. This should enable us to better apprehend a transnational mega-event such as the COP21, characterized by
the number and diversity of actors involved, the meetings, initiatives, and discussions organized, and the issues addressed.
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Resumen: Partiendo de la problemática de la contaminación de los maíces nativos de México por transgenes, este artículo analiza la evolución de las políticas mexicanas de bioseguridad. Muestra cómo el problema de la contaminación... more
Resumen: Partiendo de la problemática de la contaminación de los maíces nativos de México por transgenes, este artículo analiza la evolución de las políticas mexicanas de bioseguridad. Muestra cómo el problema de la contaminación transgénica fue objeto de un proceso de “distanciamiento” por parte de varias instancias gubernamentales, y cómo ha sido descartado de la agenda pública. Las políticas de bioseguridad pueden analizarse como una “actuación de seriedad” porque no se articulan con ningún dispositivo concreto para controlar la diseminación de organismos genéticamente modificados. El análisis se enfoca en el papel ambiguo que desempeñan los actores y las instituciones científicas.
Abstract: Beginning with the problem of the contamination of native corn in Mexico by transgenes, this article analyzes the evolution of Mexican biosafety policies. It shows how the problem of transgenic contamination was subject to a process of “distancing” by various government agencies, and how it has been removed from the public agenda. Biosafety policies can be analyzed as “serious acting” because they are not linked to any particular device to control the spread of genetically modified organisms. The analysis focuses on the ambiguous role of scientific actors and institutions.
Abstract: Beginning with the problem of the contamination of native corn in Mexico by transgenes, this article analyzes the evolution of Mexican biosafety policies. It shows how the problem of transgenic contamination was subject to a process of “distancing” by various government agencies, and how it has been removed from the public agenda. Biosafety policies can be analyzed as “serious acting” because they are not linked to any particular device to control the spread of genetically modified organisms. The analysis focuses on the ambiguous role of scientific actors and institutions.
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Taking the transgenic “contamination” of Mexican maize as its starting point, this article analyzes Mexican biosafety policies during the 2000s. We show how the issue of genetic “contamination” underwent various “distancing” strategies... more
Taking the transgenic “contamination” of Mexican maize as its starting point, this article analyzes Mexican biosafety policies during the 2000s. We show how the issue of genetic “contamination” underwent various “distancing” strategies by different Mexican government authorities, that is, being removed from the agenda or sidelined. This distancing reflects the essentially symbolic character of biosafety policy in Mexico, which uses no concrete mechanism to control the release of GMOs into the environment, and is primarily intended to display ostensible respect for international environmental requirements (the Cartagena Protocol) without hindering the grain trade with the United States.
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A partir de la problématique de la contamination des maïs locaux mexicains par des transgènes, cet article analyse l’évolution des politiques publiques de biosécurité mexicaines depuis les années 1990. On montre notamment comment ce... more
A partir de la problématique de la contamination des maïs locaux mexicains par des transgènes, cet article analyse l’évolution des politiques publiques de biosécurité mexicaines depuis les années 1990. On montre notamment comment ce problème de la contamination transgénique a fait l’objet par les différentes instances gouvernementales mexicaines de diverses stratégies de « mise à distance », c'est-à-dire de mise hors agenda ou de mise à
l’écart d’un problème public. Cette « mise à distance » renvoie de manière plus générale à une « performance de sérieux » dans des politiques de biosécurité mexicaines qui ne s’appuie sur
aucun dispositif concret pour contrôler la dissémination des OGM dans l’environnement et vise essentiellement à ne pas entraver le commerce de grains avec les Etats-Unis. Dans ces stratégies de « mise à distance », on sera particulièrement attentif au rôle ambigu que joue les acteurs et les institutions scientifiques.
l’écart d’un problème public. Cette « mise à distance » renvoie de manière plus générale à une « performance de sérieux » dans des politiques de biosécurité mexicaines qui ne s’appuie sur
aucun dispositif concret pour contrôler la dissémination des OGM dans l’environnement et vise essentiellement à ne pas entraver le commerce de grains avec les Etats-Unis. Dans ces stratégies de « mise à distance », on sera particulièrement attentif au rôle ambigu que joue les acteurs et les institutions scientifiques.
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Cet entretien évoque l'introduction de la pensée complexe en France et la place d'Edgar Morin dans le champs des sciences sociales françaises
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Cet axe 3 du WP5 Bekonal (Building and exchanging knowledges on natural resources) s’interroge sur les savoirs scientifiques et les savoirs traditionnels sur la nature dans le contexte de la gouvernance politiques et économiques de... more
Cet axe 3 du WP5 Bekonal (Building and exchanging knowledges on natural resources) s’interroge sur les savoirs scientifiques et les savoirs traditionnels sur la nature dans le contexte de la gouvernance politiques et économiques de l’environnement. Par contraste avec les Axes 1 et 2 de ce WP qui s’intéresse respectivement aux savoirs traditionnels dans le contexte des communautés locales et aux savoirs scientifiques dans certains milieux académiques, cet axe vise à montrer les formes de circulation, d’hybridation et de traduction entre ces savoirs quand ils sont pris dans des jeux politiques et économiques qui relèvent de la gouvernance environnementale. L’hypothèse que nous faisons est que la distinction entre d’une part, les savoirs scientifiques et les savoirs traditionnels et d’autre part, les savoirs et la politique, devient beaucoup plus floue quand on resitue ces éléments dans un contexte de gouvernance marqué par la mise en tension de différents acteurs et différentes logiques, à différents niveaux. Beaucoup plus que sur la purification de ces catégories, nous insistons dans ce rapport sur différentes dynamiques d’hybridation, de traduction et d’intermédiation entre ces catégories. Nous montons également que ces catégories des savoirs scientifiques et de savoirs traditionnels sont des catégories complexes qui doivent être contextualisées et qui ne sauraient être appréhendées en blocs cohérents et homogènes.
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En México, uno de los efectos colaterales positivos de la controversia sobre los maices transgénicos fue una cierta toma de conciencia del patrimonio biocultural que representan los maíces criollos. Así, defendemos la hipótesis que los... more
En México, uno de los efectos colaterales positivos de la controversia sobre los maices transgénicos fue una cierta toma de conciencia del patrimonio biocultural que representan los maíces criollos. Así, defendemos la hipótesis que los movimientos de conservación de los maíces criollos, aunque muy diferentes y hasta contradictorios, representan en su conjunto una manera para los mexicanos de ver su enorme diversidad social y ambiental. ¿Existe realmente un movimiento de conservación de los maíces criollos mexicanos? ¿Quién lo conforma y cómo se articula? ¿Tendrá suficiente peso para contrarrestar la dinámica de erosión? ¿Cuál sería su significado socioambiental? Para responder estas preguntas, este reporte analiza cómo circulan ideas y prácticas diversas de conservación entre los diferentes sectores de la comunidad científica (I), de la sociedad civil (II) y de las instituciones públicas mexicanas (III). Así, este reporte se presenta como un primer intento exploratorio para dar una visión panorámica del mosaico de iniciativas que conforma el movimiento de conservación de las variedades criollas del maíz mexicano.