Transversal themes

In a context of multiple and interrelated crises, this transversal approach aims to examine societal changes directed toward both social and environmental sustainability. It focuses on transformations in imaginaries, representations, values, narratives, and practices. It favors a cross-scalar investigation and takes into account issues of well-being, care in mutual relationships between humans and non-humans, as well as health. The objective is to foster a more just and inclusive approach to transition.To this end, this transversal perspective pays particular attention to alternative and emerging sustainability practices developed by non-dominant and marginalized actors. Such a perspective makes it possible to rethink our scientific frameworks and the possible forms of action in the field of transition. It also highlights the importance of reflecting on the ethical and reflexive dimensions of our practices as researchers and on our relationship with research participants.

This cross-disciplinary approach critically examines the interplay of actors, modes of action and their effects on space, with the aim of questioning conceptual and discursive devices, with a view to deconstructing categories and models. This approach leads us to examine social, cultural and environmental inequalities, territorial conflicts (tensions, mobilizations, contestations), modes of governance (modes of consultation and regulation, participatory processes) and new forms of expertise.

The methodological approaches encompassed in this approach help to overcome the boundaries between what is readily associated with the humanities (textual corpora, sensitive approaches or those emphasizing subjectivity, cultural and artistic productions, qualitative survey techniques, etc.) and what is assigned to the digital worlds (quantitative methods, indicators and other objectivizing tools, including in a decision-making aid perspective, data visualization, etc.). They also favor the use of tools that are irreducible to this dichotomy (mixed methods, qualitative indicators, mapping, network analysis, etc.).