Renaud Bécot, associate professor of contemporary history, is co-author of the book that won the 2026 Political Ecology Book Award

Renaud Bécot, an associate professor of contemporary history, is the co-author of the book that won the 2026 Political Ecology Book Award

Renaud Bécot, an associate professor of contemporary history at Sciences Po Grenoble – UGA and a member of the Pacte research laboratory, is a co-winner of the 2026 Political Ecology Book Award. His book *The Natures of Productivism: An Environmental History of France from 1940 to the Present*, co-authored with Christophe Bonneuil and Gabrielle Bouleau, was recognized by the jury of this 12th edition.

Published in February 2026 by La Découverte, the book examines how infrastructure, public policy, and economic decisions have contributed to the lasting establishment of production-oriented and development-oriented models. It also explores the resistance and controversies that have accompanied these transformations, shedding light on the power dynamics at play in the construction of our contemporary societies.

In its assessment, the jury highlights, in particular, the book’s ability to put the narrative of the “Trente Glorieuses” and that of society’s gradual shift toward sustainability into perspective. It commends a work that helps us understand how productivism has become embedded not only in people’s perceptions but also in the infrastructure and territories that continue to shape economic and social life today.

Established in 2014 by the Fondation de l’Écologie Politique, the Political Ecology Book Award is presented annually to a French-language work that, through its ideas and insights, contributes to deepening ecological thought, fostering a better understanding of ecological issues, or informing the development of solutions and public policies aimed at the ecological transformation of society. The prize is worth 1,000 euros. Its rules provide for a jury composed of at least five members, at least half of whom must be external to the governing bodies of the Fondation de l’Écologie Politique.

For this 12th edition, the jury was chaired by Céline Marty, who holds a Ph.D. in philosophy and specializes in the theme of labor in the works of André Gorz. The jury also included Laure Pascarel, co-president of Éditions Utopia and manager of the Utopia Bookstore; Meixin Tambay, president of the Festival of Ecology Books and Press; Aristide Athanassiadis, a researcher specializing in material flows and co-director of the Green Letter Club; and Alexis Vrignon, a historian and associate professor at the University of Orléans, best known as the author of *The Birth of Political Ecology in France*.

The jury also awarded a special mention to *Ces gens-là* by Lumir Lapray, published by Payot in October 2025.

The 2026 Political Ecology Book Award ceremony will take place on October 3 at 6:00 p.m. at the Académie du Climat in Paris, as part of the Ecology Book and Press Festival.