Le nourrissage des pigeons dans la région parisienne

in Ethnologie Française (2013), 43(1), 155-162

Based on fieldwork amongst a group of pigeon feeders in Paris, this article shows that the identity, discourses and practices of pigeon feeders are built on the claim of a peculiar relation to the animal ... [more ▼]

Based on fieldwork amongst a group of pigeon feeders in Paris, this article shows that the identity, discourses and practices of pigeon feeders are built on the claim of a peculiar relation to the animal in the city on one side ; on the actual or supposed feeling of hostility from some city dwellers towards feral pigeons and themselves on the other. [less ▲]

Ecoute, bruit et environnement : une incursion dans l'anthropologie des sens

in Uzance (2011), 1(1),

L’anthropologie des sens se constitue lors du grand renouvellement des années 1980. Le projet de cette nouvelle discipline consiste à comprendre comment chaque culture organise les facultés sensorielles ... [more ▼]

L’anthropologie des sens se constitue lors du grand renouvellement des années 1980. Le projet de cette nouvelle discipline consiste à comprendre comment chaque culture organise les facultés sensorielles humaines. Il nécessite, entre autres, de se détacher du primat occidental de la vision pour s’intéresser au sens dit mineurs. Dans ce contexte, cet article s’attache à l’étude du paysage sonore en Wallonie et en particulier à ce qui est considéré comme une « nuisance sonore ». Quel est le processus qui conduit à identifier un bruit comme une « nuisance sonore » ? Nous montrerons que la valeur attribuée à un bruit est le produit de l’histoire, à la fois personnelle et sociale, des désagréments associés à ce bruit. [less ▲]

La réflexivité dans l’écoute de l’environnement

Conference (2010, March 26)

La communication montre, à partir de résultats d'une enquête ethnographique en cours, l'intérêt méthodologique et théorique de la notion de réflexivité pour étudier le processus de constitution de la gêne ... [more ▼]

La communication montre, à partir de résultats d'une enquête ethnographique en cours, l'intérêt méthodologique et théorique de la notion de réflexivité pour étudier le processus de constitution de la gêne dans le cas des nuisances sonores environnementales. [less ▲]

Être à l’écoute de son écoute : nuisances sonores et réflexivité (note de recherche)

in MethIS : Méthodes et Interdisciplinarité en Sciences Humaines (2010), 3

In this paper, I examine the experience of listening to one's environment from an ethnographic standpoint. After a brief review of the conceptualizations of everyday listening in the literature, I focus ... [more ▼]

In this paper, I examine the experience of listening to one's environment from an ethnographic standpoint. After a brief review of the conceptualizations of everyday listening in the literature, I focus on the difficulties of its observation. I then propose to take noise annoyance as a mean to investigate everyday listening. I show that the heuristic power of noise annoyance comes from the reflexivity towards one's own listening that it fosters. [less ▲]

Observer l’écoute : du paradoxe à l’enquête

Conference (2009, May 11)

La communication faisait un état critique des techniques d'observation de la perception auditive qui tiennent compte de sa dimension sociale et culturelle.

Feral Pigeons in the Cities : Cultural Categories and Wildlife Management

Conference (2008, May 22)

From many aspects, one can observe that, by contrast with other times and places, feral pigeons do not have a definite status in contemporary European cities. They seem to be perpetually crossing ... [more ▼]

From many aspects, one can observe that, by contrast with other times and places, feral pigeons do not have a definite status in contemporary European cities. They seem to be perpetually crossing boundaries between different categories that people usually refer to in order to understand and engage with the world surrounding them. As a part of wildlife in an urban environment, feral pigeons elicit contrasted feelings amongst inhabitants of cities and question cultural distinctions such as domestic/wild, public/private, clean/dirt, etc. This research was a part of a multidisciplinary project aiming at evaluating both ecological and anthropological dimensions of the presence of feral pigeons in Paris. It will be argued that feral pigeons in cities could be viewed as a kind of symbolic disorder. Political measures, scientific interest and citizen behaviors towards them could therefore be understood as attempts to give the pigeons a definite status. This perspective could help improving the management of urban biodiversity by providing clues to integrate its ecological and cultural dimensions. [less ▲]