Theme 4: "Socio-spatial dynamics and political mobilisation".

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Hosted by Cesare Mattina

This area is at the crossroads of several fields of study that are usually compartmentalised. On the one hand, there is the analysis of the various types of relationship between social groups in the same area, which are characterised by distinct socio-economic, professional and residential properties, and whose coexistence produces additional specifications for the area and rearrangements of the differences between these spatially situated social groups. Secondly, the study of transactions between the specialised field of politics and the many actors in 'civil society' who claim a position as interlocutors, intermediaries or spokespersons for collective concerns.

By bringing these two fields of study together, the aim is to examine how composite groups of players, both public and private, interact to discuss, challenge or (re)negotiate interventions or proposed interventions by the public authorities in the area.

Axis members

  • Full members : Claire BENIT-GBAFFOU, Rodolphe DODIER, Pierre FOURNIER, Audrey FREYERMUTH, Hélène JEANMOUGIN, Jean LAGANE, Maïa MARTIN, Cesare MATTINA, Frédéric MONIER, Maurice OLIVE, Christophe TRAINI
  • Doctoral students : Lina BENCHEKOR, Rémi CARCELES, Othman FARRAI, Téoman GONEN, Benoît LUCZAK
  • Post-doctoral and ATER students : Kamil GHOUATI, Laurence DUFRESNE AUBERTIN
  • Partners: Aurélien ALLOUCHE, Jessy BAILLY, Mohamed Slim BEN YOUSSEF, Mathias BOURRISSOUX, Alice DAQUIN, Elena DINUBILA, Yannick DUVAUCHELLE, Marie FILIPPI, El hadji Bafodé GASSAMA, Mathieu LEBORGNE, Anton OLIVE-ALVAREZ, Charles REVEILLERE, Kevin VACHER, Anne-Françoise VOLPONI
  • Emeriti : Yolande BENARROSH, Jean-Samuel BORDREUIL
MMSH Amphitheatre
MMSH Amphitheatre

From a methodological point of view, this theme takes a constructivist approach.

Refusing to adopt a naturalistic approach, the members of the team endeavour to reconstruct the processes through which the actors studied endeavour to convince their contemporaries of the importance of certain 'issues', 'public problems', 'disturbances', 'risks' or 'threats'. In these localised analyses of social phenomena, the question of scales (spatial and temporal) is also of great importance, both in terms of observation by the researchers and the actors who use them to situate themselves in relation to each other. The research focuses on two main themes:

  • Social dynamics and territorial governance
  • Localised analysis of political work.

Keywords: Mobilisation, controversy, territories, environment, ecological transition, living environment, expertise, professionalisation, social groups

Axis news

Axis 4 seminar: review of the year and preparations for 2026-2027

Friday 29 May 2026 Annual review and programme for the following seminar year 2026-2027. More information to follow.
2025 | 2026 | Headlines | Axis 4

Area 4 - Progress workshop: Elena Dinubila and Hélène Jeanmougin

Friday 10 April 2026 | All day | Mmsh, room A154 Morning: «The territories of social work», talk by Elena Dinubila, research fellow at the Institut régional du Travail social (IRTS) on the issues of social work and urban territories. Afternoon: talk by Hélène Jeanmougin on her book project...
2025 | Headlines | Axis 4

Area 4 - Progress workshop: Cesare Mattina, «Publishing an HDR. Presentation of ideas and main results».»

Friday 28 November 2025 | 14h-17h | Mmsh, salle A154 Programme: > News from Axis 4 «Socio-spatial dynamics and political mobilisation», forthcoming seminars, a round table on Marxist urban sociology scheduled for the spring... > Cesare Mattina's talk: Publishing an HDR. Presentation of ideas...
2025 | Headlines | Axis 4

Urban studies« cross-cutting theme, »Atelier Marseille 4-5« initiative: Francesca Ru, »Le marché de la Plaine: réappropriation et bouleversements d'un espace rénové« (presentation of results)

Friday 12, Saturday 13 & Sunday 14 September 2025 | Marseille Francesca Ru presents the results of her research into the effects of the renovation of Place Jean Jaurès on the Plaine market, conducted this year in collaboration with Cesare Mattina and Claire Bénit-Gbaffou. On Friday 12 September,...
2025 | Headlines | Axis 4 | Urban studies

Axis 4 & EHESS Marseille seminar: "Working with Jean-Claude Chamboredon".

Thursday 6 November 2025 | 9.30am - 4pm | EHESS, Vieille Charité (2 rue de la Charité, 13002 Marseille) Day organised with the Master - Recherches comparatives en anthropologie, histoire et sociologie, Campus EHESS Marseille. Presentation of the book Un sociologue de métier. Le travail de Jean-Claude Chamboredon (Paris, Edition de...
2025 | Headlines | Axis 4

Axis 4 seminar: Emmanuel Martinais, "La fabrique administrative des lois et règlements" (The administrative manufacture of laws and regulations)

Friday 14 March 2025 | 11h-13h | MMSH (salle A154) As part of Axe 4, Emmanuel Martinais will present his book La fabrique administrative des lois et règlements, Enquête au ministère de l'environnement après la catastrophe AZF (Peter Lang, 2024). Summary of the book: Surprisingly, the sociology of the State...
2025 | Headlines | Axis 4

Publications

Dictionary of ecology and politics

Benoît Luczak and Christophe Traïni, contributions to the «Dictionnaire d'écologie politique» (Presses de Sciences Po, 2025)

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Jean Lagane, Natures Sciences Sociétés magazine: "Parc naturel urbain à Aix-en-Provence. The challenges facing public developers in the face of the expectations of an ordinary urban environmental movement".

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Article by Jessy Bailly: "Reform nebula and the institutionalisation of democratic criticism in the EU".

Social Movement Studies

Article by Jessy Bailly: "The politics of public data and numbers in activism: attitudes towards public numbers by citizen debt audit groups in Belgium, France and Spain".

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Book chapter, Christophe Traïni: "Convenir, mesurer, juger. Carbon accounting and the sociology of quantification".

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Article by Christophe Traïni: "The mobilisation of emotions and the judicialisation of protest. Climate emergency and the fight against government inaction".

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Stéphanie Dechézelles - "Occupations

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Stéphanie Dechézelles in "Les jardins d'Aubervilliers: un nouveau droit à la ville?

Archives des évènements de l'axe

Axis 4 seminar: Jérôme Dubois, «Renewable energies in France - Analysis of an impeded planning process».»

Vendredi 6 décembre 2024 | 14h | MMSH (salle A154) Dans le cadre de l’Axe 4, Jérôme Dubois, professeur en urbanisme et aménagement à la Faculté de Droit et de Science Politique…

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Seminar Area 4: Socio-spatial dynamics and political mobilisation / Urban studies cross-cutting area

Jeudi 21 novembre 2024 | 10h-12h | EPS (salle 202) En collaboration avec l’axe transversal Études urbaines, l’axe 4 du MESOPOLHIS accueillera Miguel A. Martínez, professeur de sociologie urbaine de…

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Axis 4 seminar Socio-spatial dynamics and political mobilisation

Vendredi 5 avril, 13h30-16h, MMSH, Salle de réunion Pour ce prochain séminaire de l’axe 4, Benoît LUCZAK (Doctorant, MESOPOLHIS) présentera : «  L’analyse du mouvement climat en France et au…

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Axis 4 seminar Socio-spatial dynamics and political mobilisation Invited speakers: Sophie Dubuisson-Quellier (DR CNRS, Dir. CSO); Stéphanie Dechezelles (PU sociology Univ. de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour)

Sophie Dubuisson-Quellier (DR CNRS, Dir. CSO) viendra nous présenter son ouvrage Mobilisations environnementales (Co-dir.) (PUF/Vie des idées 2023) Et Stéphanie Dechezelles, PU sociologie Univ. de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour viendra…

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Axis 4 seminar Socio-spatial dynamics and political mobilisation
Guest: François-Mathieu Poupeau (Director of Research at CNRS and Professor at Ecole des Ponts ParisTech)

Invité : François-Mathieu Poupeau (Directeur de recherche au CNRS et professeur de l’Ecole des Ponts ParisTech) Présentation de son ouvrage « L’État en quête d’une stratégie énergie-climat » (2023, Presses des Mines de…

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Axis 4 seminar Socio-spatial dynamics and political mobilisationGuest: Thomas Reverdy, PU Sociologie industrielle, INP, PACTE, Univ. de Grenoble

Invité : Thomas Reverdy, PU sociologie industrielle, INP, PACTE, Univ. de Grenoble Thème : « Apports de la sociologie économique à la connaissance des transformations et des crises du secteur de…

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Axis 4 seminar Socio-spatial dynamics and political mobilisation
Guest: Christelle Gramaglia (INRAE, Montpellier)

Invitée : Christelle Gramaglia (INRAE, Montpellier) viendra nous présenter son ouvrage « Habiter la pollution. Expériences et métrologies citoyennes de la contamination » « Repenser les pollutions à partir des expériences et métrologies…

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Axis 4 seminar Socio-spatial dynamics and political mobilisation

HyFlex : dessiner la transition vers l’hydrogène dans les territoires… Lors de cette troisième séance, Maurice Olive, Pierre Fournier et Cesare Mattina (MESOPOLHIS) présenteront le Projet HyFlex « Dessiner la…

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Séminaire Axe 4 – Florian PIETRON & Hélène JEANMOUGIN

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Axis 4 seminar
Cecilia PASINI (Italian doctoral student, visiting researcher at Mesopolhis)
« Les territoires fossiles entre passé industriel, présent d’incertitude et futur de désindustrialisations »

A case study of the Eni refinery at Sannazzaro de' Burgondi (Lombardy)

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Axis 4 seminar
L’épreuve de la discrimination
Survey in working-class neighbourhoods

Presentation of the book published by PUF in 2021.

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Mesopolhis, Theme 4 / Socio-spatial dynamics and political mobilisation

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Axis 4 seminar: «Socio-spatial dynamics and political mobilisation».»

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Axis 4 seminar: «Socio-spatial dynamics and political mobilisation».»

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