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The Montpellier Social Sciences and Humanities Research Institute

Dynamics of Euro-Mediterranean Interactions, Identities, Territories, Development.

Created: GIS signed in October 2005

Status: GIS with the current creation of a federative structure

Director: Gérard GHERSI - gerard.ghersi univ-montp3.fr

RESEARCH AREAS

The scientific project of the Montpellier MSH is to unite common knowledge on the complex and interdependent socio-economic challenges which the Euro-Mediterranean area will be confronted with in coming years. Three orientations: “identities”, “territories”, “development” form the research areas. Through these, the project hopes to encourage scientific dynamics for local development based on interactions between plural Europes and Mediterraneans.

Area 1: Identities, cultures, cultural transfers.

From a historical point of view, the Mediterranean area is a perfect example of the invariability of technical, intellectual and aesthetic transfers, which have made it what it is. The increase of migratory flow, the settlement of non-native communities away from their original homes, the dissemination of models and ways of life through information and communication technologies (ICT) and globalisation have created new dimensions within the Mediterranean area.

Three types of relationships between man and the world are proposed:

 the knowledge and beliefs studied in humanities;
 the speeches and representations that cultural contacts reveal;
 individual and collective identities.

Area 2: Construction of territories

Interactions between environments and society are produced through appropriation and valorisation of geographical areas. Such an approach of territory, which is envisaged as an open system, and applied to Euro-Mediterranean areas, makes it feasible to address the dynamics of continuous construction of European and Mediterranean territories. These research questions not only concern the historical playing of their past exchanges, but also the history of important trends in worldwide exchanges which appear today within the dominating factor of the territorial development, i.e., globalisation.

The construction of territories by socities is addressed via the following three topics:

 territories, networks and systems of settlement;
 territorial Identities
 territories and landscapes

Area 3: Land planning and management of sustenable development.

While global dynamics never cease to increase, European and Mediterranean societies are confronted with major internal economic, social, technological and demographic transformations. This situation necessarily requires an extension of scientific horizons of the research teams implicated, while at the same time demanding a consolidation of the themes studied by each partner and by encouraging interdisciplinary exchanges.

Three research areas have been identified:
 the first relates to societies undergoing transformation and is more specifically concerned with the people involved and their forms of organisation.
 the second deals with Settlement and management of enduring development.
 the third concerns food systems, their development and safety.

TEAMS

Within the Montpellier MSH, the Montpellier 1, Montpellier 2 and Montpellier 3 Universities, the CNRS and Agropolis have associated with the University of Perpignan, in order to summon the following teams:

 UMR 5609 ESID
 UMR 5191 ICAR
 UMR 5815 Dynamiques du droit
 EA 3764 CHREMMO
 UMR 5186 ICRL
 UMR 5045 MTE
 UMR 6012 Espace
 UMR 5140 + FRE 2742 Archéologie des sociétés méditerranéennes
 UMR 5112 CEPEL
 UMR 175 CEFE
 EA 3766 GESTER
 UMR MOISA
 UMR INNOVATION
 UMR 5474 LAMETA
 EA 2039 LASER

Other teams and researchers will be able to become involved with the research programmes.

CONTACTS

MSH-M
17 rue Abbé-de-l’Épée
34090 Montpellier
Phone +33 499 636 920
mshm univ-montp3.fr
http://mshm.univ-montp3.fr