Les Rencontres du MESOPOLHIS #6 | "Saillans: reinventing the democratic experience. Ethnographic and cinematographic perspectives".

Friday 23 May 2025 | 10am-4.30pm | MMSH (amphitheatre)

La sixth session of the MESOPOLHIS MEETINGS will focus on the following theme "Saillans: reinventing the democratic experience. Ethnographic and cinematographic perspectives".

Opening up a municipality to forms of democratic participation is a challenge not only for citizens and their elected representatives, but also for social science researchers and film-makers. The example of Saillans town hall (Drôme) between 2014 and 2020 is a good opportunity to reflect on this, by crossing viewpoints and forms of writing.

We are delighted to welcome the director Dorine Brun and sociologist Séverin Muller (University of Lille - Clersé).

📚 Séverin Mullera sociologist at the University of Lille and the Clersé laboratory, has accompanied the adventure of the collegiate municipality by carrying out participant observation to understand this practical experiment in democratisation. He will shortly be publishing Inventing desirable lives. Democracy at work in Saillans (Le Croquant).

🎥 With Sarah JacquetDorine Brun has made two films about this experiment in democracy in Saillans, La République de Saillans (52') in 2020 and Commune commune (115') in 2022.

On the programme:

• MORNING (10am-12.45pm): DEBATE-PREVIEW OF THE FILM "COMMUNE, COMMUNE" BY DORINE BRUN AND SARAH JACQUET (2022), in the presence of Dorine Brun.
• AFTERNOON (2pm-4.30pm): SPEECH BY SÉVERIN MULLER, INVENTING DESIRABLE LIVES. DEMOCRACY AT WORK IN SAILLANS

The discussions will be led by Philippe Aldrin (MESOPOLHIS), Claire Benit-Gbaffou (MESOPOLHIS), Pascal Cesaro (PRISM, ISMed), Aurélien Charpy (ISMed) and Pierre Fournier (MESOPOLHIS)

💻 Hybrid format in the afternoon: link available on this page ("Event details online" section below).

Documentary by Dorine Brun and Sarah Jacquet | 1 h 55 min | 2022

Synopsis: In the 2014 municipal elections in the Drôme commune of Saillans, a citizens' list was elected on a participatory democracy project. The hopes raised by this "Republic of Saillans" were immense. Five years later, as the next elections approach, the village is getting together to draw up an initial assessment of this political experiment.

Mesopolhis 2024-2025 programme of meetings

Download the Mesopolhis programme for this academic year 2024-2025.