“Yet another symposium on transition, in a new format

An international colloquium will be held on December 1 and 2 at the initiative of Labex ITTEM, to stimulate scientific reflection on changes in mountain territories at a time of transition. Its innovative format will open the door to new audiences.

Transition” comes in all shapes and sizes. All the more reason to dwell on it once again, and to continue thinking about what it means in mountain territories, where change is no longer an option, whether it’s imposed, anticipated, sought after, discussed or opposed… The mountain context invites us to take a closer look at the territorial realities of transition, their actualities and the challenges they pose for its populations: tourism, energy, mobility, environment, health, food, water resources, regional planning, sciences, digital, etc.

Are these transitions as unprecedented, linear and consensual as advertised? What insights can an examination of past transition processes provide into the current invention of territories? In what ways do mountain territorialities stand out and differ from other territories that also claim to be in “transition”? Some forty French, Italian, Swiss and Spanish researchers specializing in these issues will address these questions, including several members of Labex ITTEM.

The event, entitled “Still in transition? Les territoires de montagne face aux changements socio-environnementaux”, is organized in partnership with the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme – Alpes (MSH-Alpes) as part of its interdisciplinary research program Transalpes. Alps in transition. Other partners include the Groupe de recherche sur les enjeux de la communication (Gresec), the Laboratoire de recherche historique Rhône-Alpes (Larhra), the Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA) and the Société française des sciences de l’information et de la communication (SFSIC).

The colloquium will also provide an opportunity to preview the documentary film Transition – Un raid anthropologique dans le Queyras, co-produced by Alpine Lines and Labex ITTEM, which brings social sciences into dialogue with the Queyras region on a ski raid to explore transitions in the mountains.

On the innovative side, and with a view to making the event accessible to new audiences, particularly the under-25s, MSH-Alpes and Labex ITTEM teamed up with the Twitch channel Chercheur-e-s de Montagnes to devise a mediation system based on the platform’s codes. In the image of sporting events, trios of commentators made up of researchers and students will report – analyze – dissect the speakers’ presentations live. They will also conduct interviews with the researchers on the spot, in an offbeat tone.

Practical information:

Venue: MSH-Alpes amphitheatre

Conference website (program, registration): https: //transalpes.sciencesconf.org/

Follow the symposium on the MSH-Alpes YouTube channel:
Day 1: https: //youtu.be/syveoRs9iNM
Day 2: https: //youtu.be/EuQSPMgvfYk

Twitter: #TransALPESgre

See the symposium program [PDF]

Conference flyer :