The laboratory
The Centre méditerranéen de sociologie, de science politique et d'histoire (MESOPOLHIS) is a multidisciplinary social science unit created in January 2021 under the triple supervision of Aix-Marseille University, Sciences Po Aix and the Centre national de la recherche scientifique.
The result of the merger of LAMES (UMR 7305) and CHERPA (EA 4261), MESOPOLHIS now occupies a unique position in the regional and national scientific environment. It brings together researchers and teacher-researchers from several social science disciplines, mainly sociology, political science and history, but also anthropology, demography, geography and urban planning.
Mesopolhis' research focuses primarily, but not exclusively, on the Euro-Mediterranean area and extends beyond. Using a controlled interdisciplinary approach, our work focuses on the transnational and historical dimension of changes in contemporary societies, giving priority to the long term wherever possible. In particular, we focus on the changes affecting institutional structures and the spatial and cultural dynamics of social worlds. We use investigative methods that accurately document knowledge of the social and political spheres, based on empirical, spatialised and longitudinal approaches to the objects of investigation and reflection. We also seek to deepen the epistemological and interdisciplinary dimensions of our work, both qualitative and quantitative, with a particular focus on the place of images in social science research and writing.
Since January 2024, the new management of MESOPOLHIS is composed of :
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Nicolas BADALASSI (ScPo Aix): Unit Director
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Magali NONJON (ScPo Aix): Deputy Unit Director
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Ariane RICHARD-BOSSEZ (AMU): Deputy Unit Director
History of the laboratory
January 2024
Mesopolhis General Meeting with the laboratory's new management team, comprising Nicolas Badalassi (DU), Magali Nonjon (DUA) and Ariane Richard-Bossez (DUA)
February 2022
Launch of the new website
23 and 24 September 2021
Launch of the unit's first doctoral conference
17 March 2021
First defence of a doctoral thesis at Mesopolhis (Marie Filippi), " Involving local residents and users: an experiment in participatory engineering in the Castellane district of Marseilles " under the direction of Sylvie Mazzella
19 February 2021
General Meeting and election of co-directors, Professors Marc Bernardot and Mohamed Tozy
January 2021
Researchers from LAMES (UMR 7305, Aix-Marseille Univ-CNRS) and a large part of those from CHERPA (EA 4261, Sciences Po Aix) have come together, on the basis of thematic and methodological convergence, to form our new UMR : MESOPOLHIS (Centre mediterranean sociology, science politics andhistoire), located on both the MMSH and Sciences Po Aix sites.
September 2020
Validation AGM
April 2020
Project offset
November 2019
Explicit support from guardians
September 2018 to July 2019
Emergence of a collaborative scientific project marked by a large number of meetings in each laboratory and between laboratories
November 2017 to June 2018
Exploring the possibility of a partnership between CHERPA and LAMES (based on an inventory of past, present and planned collaborations outside the project).
2008
The laboratory Beliefs, history, space, political and administrative regulation (CHERPA), EA 4261, Sciences Po Aix was created in 2008 and is based at the Espace Philippe Seguin at Sciences Po Aix.
1994
Le Mediterranean Sociology Laboratory (LAMES), UMR 7305, Aix-Marseille university, CNRS was created in 1994 and is based at the MMSH in Aix-en-Provence.
MESOPOLHIS has 3 objectives
Structuring a high-performance, socially committed unit in line with the research policy approved by our supervisory authorities
To create a multidisciplinary and pluralist unit whose research focuses on contemporary changes in societies
Proposing scientific programmes on an international scale that are attentive to local dimensions and global issues