Mobilization, Public Space and Media Space

The research area’s project for 2022-2026 pursues research carried out over the last five years on the question of political visibility and invisibility, while renewing its research fields and angles of approach. This research area looks at the political inventiveness revealed by the re-appropriation of public spaces.

Investigating policy through its margins

The first stage of investigation involves analysing the history and practices of fractions of society made invisible in the social space. It will also look at the issue of “moving margins”, in particular through research on collective action and social movements. A new investigation has been launched on trade union, feminist and radical left movements in the city of Rennes during the post-1968 decade, including the pathways pursued by the actors involved, with the aim of pursuing and clarifying blind spots in this research.

Media spheres

The second type of investigation relates to the role of the media and journalists in constructing political representations. This includes exploring: the role of local correspondents; the impacts of multi-media journalism; the regional press and digital technology; gender attribution in the media; politics on television and militant use of the media; and online “citizen journalism”.

Gender relations and relationships to gender

The construction of gender relations and relationships to gender will continue to be present in different ways. This will begin with editorial productions drawn from scientific events. Members of the team will be involved in research projects that primarily concern the gender issue.

In the coming period, the research area coordinators aim to work in small, cross-cutting groups on two new themes.

Transnational movements: What new configuration for territories and local actors?

Research on this theme will question how the transnational aspect will influence dynamics observable at different territorial levels, by analysing the transnational circulation of ideas, actors, material, statuses and professional standards. The idea is to complexify the analysis by studying how transnational movements can help to reconfigure local areas, and to modify the strategies employed by local actors. This area will also look at the role of the different actors in transnational movements, and at the selectivity of elements that move from one territory to another.

Professionalization/de-professionalization

To what extent can de-professionalization phenomena be observed over the last twenty years? At a collective level, we note a blurring of the lines between some professions, increasing porosity between activities, and the weakening of regulation systems. To what extent can this be considered a form of de-professionalization? And to what extent does the democratization of work tools, until recently exclusively reserved to professionals, open up new practices? Can de-professionalization sometimes also be seen as an intentional activity, and a reaction to professional practices perceived as (having become) too institutional, corresponding to protocols and ideological standards that make it difficult to innovate or take into account the social changes taking place?