thesis

La formation du groupe des paysans modernistes

Defense date:

Jan. 1, 1992

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Institution:

Lyon 2

Disciplines:

Directors:

Abstract EN:

The creation of a new peasant-farmer elite in france during the early sixties has often been written about. Most se called descriptions of the "rise of young farmers" are more or less exclusively based on the study of writings and speeches, made at or after the time, portraying a meaningful coherence in the actions of those involved. This representation of reality is derived from the encounter of agriculturalists of various backgrounds, considered as standard-bearers of an implicitly common cause, and of agents from other (political, scientific, religious or journalistic) fields having some "objective complicity and special affinity" with the farmer and some interest in things happening the way they did. This representation of reality, however, is not the product of conscious, rational calculation. Analysis of the changes in the field of agricultural administration and of the arrangements made by these farmers, who describe themselves and are described as "modern" or modernist", in the adminitrative departement of high savoy shows how the conjoint action of agents from various administrative branches, seeking to influence the peasant farmers, and helped by a series of consecratory acts at once of the separation and of combination, to produce an "agricultural elite" composed of farmers who were socially distinct and or willing to be distinguished.

Abstract FR:

La formation d'une nouvelle elite paysanne en france au debut des annees 1960 a ete maintes fois decrite. Ce qui est souvent pose comme la description de la montee des "jeunes agriculteurs et l'apparition des "paysans modernistes" repose massivement sur l'etude des discours produits simultanement ou a posteriori qui donne un sens a l'action des agents. Cette representation de la realite est le produit de la rencontre entre des agriculteurs aux trajectoires particulieres qui vont etre consideres comme porteur d'une cause implicitement partagee et des agents appartenant a d'autres champs (politique, savant, journaliste, religieux) qui ont avec des agriculteurs des "conivences objectives et des affinites electives" et qui ont interet a ce que les choses se soient passees ainsi, cette representation de la realite ne resulte pas pour autant de calculs conscients et rationnels. L'analyse des transformations du champ de l'encadrement de la production agricole et des dispositions de ces agriculteurs qui se qualifient de "modernes" ou de "modernistes" dans le departement de la haute savoie montre comment l'action conjugee d'agents appartenant a diverses instances d'encadrement cherchant a exercer une emprise sur la paysannerie ont par une serie d'actes de consecreation qui sont autant actes de separation et d'agreation contribue a degager une "elite agricole" composee d'agriculteurs socialement distincts et ou predisposes a etre distingues.