Unlike the paragons of ecological modernization, techno-solutionism or partisan political ecology, the ethos of those involved in grassroots environmentalism is often characterized by a relative modesty in the way they describe their relationship with ordinary nature. This attitude is the antithesis of the spectacle of the saviour-of-the-planet syndrome (from television producers turned ministers to digital multi-billionaires who constantly set themselves up as enlightened heroes of the ecological cause). What's more, the stranglehold of constraints on the environmental possibilities of post-war fishermen in Sète has not been loosened for the working classes of the 21st century. Nonetheless, certain sections of the working classes continue to have a unique relationship with the environment, driven primarily by the definition of "essential needs" against the industrialization of superfluous production, as well as by the organization of conditions for a dignified subsistence.
Research fields
- Work
- Energy
- Public health
Reporting structure(s)
PACT
renaud.becot@sciencespo-grenoble.fr
Responsibilities
-
ANR AmiEtat project manager -
President of the University Network of Researchers in Environmental History (Ruche) -
Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Scientific Interest Group on Occupational Cancers - GISCOP93 -
Member of the Scientific Council of IHS-CGT, CGT Confederal Institute of Social History -
Co-editor of the "Ecology and environment in Europe" section of the Encyclopedia of Digital History of Europe (EHNE) -
Responsible for the project "Deindustrializing the valley, and health?" - Project with SFR Santé Société UGA -
Member of the Scientific Council of the festival La Ruche de l'histoire. Printemps de l'histoire environnementale -
Co-leader of the Working Group "Occupational Health and Safety History" - European Labor History Network (ELHN) -
Member of the CHATEFP (Comité d'histoire des administrations chargées du travail de l'emploi et de la Education professionnelle) scientific committee. -
Co-responsible for the workshop "Invisibility of occupational health in public administrations, France-Canada", Entretiens Jacques Cartier -
Member of the editorial board of Sociétés contemporaines magazine
Courses
- History and civilization modern worlds, contemporary
Current programs and contracts
- AmiEtat
- Archival City
- JustAct!
- REFINING TERRITORIES FROM 1945 TO THE PRESENT DAY: TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS AND SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL METAMORPHOSES
- Invisibility of occupational health in public administrations, France-Canada
Publications
Magazine article
- Renaud Bécot
Publication date: 08/08/2024
Etang-de-Berre has been one of France's main oil refining sites since the interwar period. Oil expansion led to conflicts with fishermen in the 1950s and with trade unionists in the 1970s. The ambivalence of the relationship with this territory needs to be understood by reconstructing the history of conflictual relations between the oil industry and organized civil society, particularly since 1957, when a national law prohibited fishing and guaranteed priority oil use of this pond. This article sheds light on how the oil industry relies on the state to protect and green its image, pointing out that environmental regulation has given companies the option of letting public administrations handle pollution communication.
Conference papers
- Gabrielle Lecomte-Ménahès ,
- Clémentine Comer,
- Renaud Bécot,
- Collectif Trois Cent Cinquante Tonnes Et Des Poussières
Publication date: 24/06/2024
N°spécial de revue/special issue
- Renaud Bécot,
- Christophe Bonneuil