On the Value of Controversies

Since 2017, the Maison des sciences humaines – Alpes, located on the University of Grenoble campus, has been hosting an annual seminar titled “Science, Society, Communication.” As it does every year, the seminar also focuses on the mountains.

Coordinated by sociologist Mikaël Chambru within the Transalpes research cluster of the Maison des sciences humaines – Alpes (MSH-Alpes), the “Science, Society, Communication” seminar brings together researchers in the humanities and social sciences. He explains its objective: “Using controversial social issues as a starting point, we seek to understand what these disagreements reveal about the relationship between science and society. Controversies offer unique opportunities to examine the role of scientific expertise in public debate, but also to understand how public issues are collectively constructed and how discussing them contributes to democratic life.”

In 2026, for its tenth edition, two sessions will focus on themes related to mountain regions. On November 3, the topic will be migration control at the Franco-Italian border in the Hautes-Alpes, featuring Daphné Velay, Ph.D. in Geography. Her work resonates with the research of Cristina Del Biaggio of the Pacte laboratory, with whom she has co-authored an article for the journal *L’espace politique*, to be published shortly. She has also co-authored an article on the subject in an issue ofthe *Journal of Alpine Research/Revue de géographie alpine*.

On November 24, the seminar will focus on plans to build a data centerin a valley in the Italian Dolomites, featuring Gabriele Orlandi, a researcher at the University of the Aosta Valley.

This seminar, organized by MSH-Alpes and the Research Group on Communication Issues (Gresec), is part of one of the research areas ofthe Science and Society Observatory. It is open to everyone, with no registration required, and is primarily aimed at master’s students, doctoral candidates, researchers, and professionals. For doctoral candidates at the University of Grenoble Alpes, the seminar is part of the doctoral college’s curriculum.

Explore the program forthe 2026 edition of the seminar