Questioning the commitment of researchers

On October 6, 2025, the seminar ” Engagé.es: quelles posture(s) des scientifiques dans la société à l’ère de l’Anthropocène” will be held, organized by Grec Alpes-Auvergne, Zone Atelier Alpes and Labexes OSUG and ITTEM.

This joint seminar will take place in two parts:

• One day on the Grenoble university campus (MSH-Alpes/Saint-Martin-d’Hères), with presentations and discussions for the academic public and working partners.
• At the end of the day, at Minimistan (a bar in Grenoble), open to the general public.

The day’s events on campus will kick off with two keynote speeches offering historical perspectives on engaged research, as well as insights into the reasons behind researchers’ involvement in the current period.

The morning will close with contributions from young researchers who took part in a summer school – Mountain Research School – organized by Labex ITTEM and OSUG on the theme of engagement, and by the Rimaye collective, which has written a collective work on the Glacier de la Girose.

In the afternoon, there will be two round-table discussions: one on the legal and ethical aspects of researchers’ commitment; the other on the place of scientists in democratic debate and public life, with several researchers talking about their various forms of commitment.

To conclude the seminar, an evening at Minimistan will feature three thematic sequences, structured in the same way:
– first 10 minutes: one or two audio/video extracts will be broadcast
– Next 10 minutes: a moderator will invite a speaker to react to the audio/video extracts.
– Last 10 minutes: the sequence ends with a discussion with the audience.

The themes addressed are: the trajectories of committed researchers (or those who have branched off); the involvement of researchers in militant movements linked to litigation; the investment of researchers in transdiscplinary research.

See the program [PDF] and access the registration form (until September 25, 2025).