University of Paris1 Pantheon-Sorbonne (France) LabEx DynamiTe: 10 years of research on migration, mobility, climate, heritage

Funded by the Investments for the Future program and managed by the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, the Laboratory of Excellence “Territorial and Spatial Dynamics” ( LabEx DynamiTe ), brings together 20 research laboratories in the fields of geography, development, town planning, history, archaeology, sociology, anthropology, economics, law and philosophy. Its researchers converge their different disciplinary fields around a common object: territories.

A rich and varied scientific program, like the LabEx

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the LabEx has chosen to organize two days articulated around round tables and workshops, but also photo exhibitions highlighting work in geography and archeology, an urban walk and projections -debates of the films ” Naachtun, the forgotten Maya city ” by Philippe Nondédéo (UMR ArchAm) and ” Que m’est-il permis d’espoir ” by Raphael Girardot and Vincent Gaullier, who is interested in the journeys of refugees in transit through Chapel door.

Workshops led by Lucile De Milleville and Quentin Wackenheim, two doctoral students from the UMR Laboratoire de Géographie Physique (LGP), enabled the public to manipulate sedimentary cores which are used to analyze the soils and environmental changes of the past, or to understand how the study of snail shells can help reconstruct the Mediterranean landscapes of the last ten millennia. For lovers of collaborative games, a workshop to discover the Ouragame board game was led by Delphine Grancher (UMR LGP), Paul Durand (UMR LGP) and Brice Anselme ( UMR Prodig ). Dedicated to post-cyclone reconstruction, Ouragame was produced by students from the 2021/2022 class of themaster 2 Global Risk and Crisis Management (GGRC) and Joséphine Pinet student in master 1 Dynarisk from Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.

The work of young LabEx researchers was also honored during a speed dating session. A format that has made it possible to highlight research topics that are rich in their relevance and diversity.

Organized by Linda Boukhris ( EIREST ) ​​and the visual artist Jean-François Boclé, the urban walk “cross stories of the plant and the colonial” led the curious on the trail of market gardening, industrial and migratory histories of the city of Aubervilliers. In another vein, the large hall of the Humathèque Condorcet presented the photo exhibition of the METATE project by Caroline Hamon (UMR Trajectoires) and Grégory Pereira (UMR ArchAm). This archaeological program aims to reconstruct the evolution of a Mexican volcanic territory organized around the exploitation of andesite for the production of metates and molcajetes , tools at the heart of traditional Mesoamerican food preparation.

The program for these two days therefore perfectly reflects the ambition and bet of the LabEx, which aims to better understand the contemporary world and its changes, by questioning, in a transversal way, the notion of territory which occupies a central place in the implementation implementation of public policies and in recent scientific advances.

Three questions for Franck Lavigne, university professor in physical, human, economic and regional geography at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (UMR 8591 LGP) and scientific and technical manager of LabEx DynamiTe

You have chosen to call the 10th anniversary of the LabEx “Territories in effervescence”, for what reasons?

Frank Lavigne: Our objective was to make this anniversary a showcase of the most representative works of the various disciplines of the LabEx, which would be able to interest a wide audience, which is why certain workshops were part of the science festival 2022. The title chosen was the fruit of several months of reflection on the part of the organizing committee of the event. On the one hand, it had to highlight the notion of “territories”, which is at the heart of all the work carried out within the LabEx, and on the other hand, to be short and punchy. The term “effervescence” reflects both the great dynamism of certain territories in full mutation, but also the risks of explosion associated with a bubbling activity: climate change, environmental changes, economic crises, health,

What is your assessment after these 10 years of existence of the LabEx?

Frank Lavigne: For 10 years, the results of the LabEx have been remarkable: it is a formidable tool for structuring the research activities of the scientific communities and national, regional and local sites. The LabEx has promoted innovative, inter- and multidisciplinary research projects within its various working groups. Due to its flexibility, it has enabled the rapid implementation of these projects, thanks in particular to financial support through requests for resources (3 times a year), and an annual call for projects (Support for Collective Research Actions of the LabEx DynamiTe – SAR-Dyn). It has increased the attractiveness of the laboratories as well as the professionalization of staff and young researchers. Since its launch, the LabEx has financed 25 doctoral grants and 27 post-doctoral contracts.

What is the ambition of the LabEx, in terms of research, training, development?

Franck Lavigne:  DynamiTe deals with questions of territories in the broad sense around 4 major issues: heritage and mutation of territories; environmental changes and risks: impact on biodiversity and societies; mobility, exchanges and migrations; methodological innovations and digital tools. The ambition of the LabEx is to be constantly at the heart of scientific innovation, resulting in publications in leading international journals and/or useful to the socio-economic world. For example, the LabEx is organizing its next summer school in Florence in September 2023 on the theme “Sound data in question: Recording, analyzing, describing soundscapes in geography to inform the state and changes of territories “.