Centre de Recherche et de Documentation sur les Amériques

Current attempts to increase the relevance of sociocultural anthropology encourage anthropologists to engage in the study of modernity. In this discourse dominated by sociologists, the contribution of anthropology is often to reveal cultural diversity in globalization, leading to the notion of multiple modernities. Yet such ethnographic accounts draw upon familiar sociological abstractions such as time‐space compression, commodification, individualization, disenchantment, and reenchantment. This article shows how an underlying meta‐narrative preempts social scientific argument by making shifts in analytical scales look natural, as in the alleged need to “situate” the particular in “wider” contexts. This analytical procedure undermines what is unique in the ethnographic method—its reflexivity, which gives subjects authority in determining the contexts of their beliefs and practices. Two ethnographic case studies are presented to support this argument, one from Melanesia on current interests in white people, money, and consumption and the other from Africa on born‐again Christianity and individuality. The article ends by reflecting not only on the limits of metropolitan meta‐narratives in returning relevance to anthropology but also on the contemporary conditions of academic work that undermine the knowledge practices of ethnography and render such meta‐narratives plausible.

International audience

International audience

Pourquoi doit-on donner, pourquoi doit-on accepter ce que l'on vous donne, et, quand on a accepte, pourquoi faut-il rendre? Cet ouvrage evalue le role et l'importance du don dans le fonctionnement des societes et dans la constitution du lien social. Le terrain, bien entendu, n'etait pas vierge: Marcel Mauss, le premier, l'avait defriche allant jusqu'a avancer l'idee que si les choses donnees sont rendues c'est qu'il y a dans la chose donnee un esprit qui la pousse a revenir entre les mains de son donateur originaire. L'hypothese valut a Mauss la critique severe de Claude Levi-Strauss, qui lui reprocha d'avoir pris une theorie indigene pour une theorie scientifique et d'avoir manque de reconnaitre pleinement le fait que la societe humaine entiere est echange et que pour en comprendre le sens il faut partir du symbolique et de sa primaute sur l'imaginaire et le reel. La perspective generale adoptee par Maurice Godelier renouvelle profondement notre comprehension du don. Il analyse en effet les choses qu'on donne ou celles qu'on vend a partir des choses qu'on ne donne pas ou ne vend pas, des choses qu'on garde et que l'on doit garder, au premier rang desquelles les objets sacres. Reanalysant les pratiques du potlatch et du kula sur lesquelles Mauss s'etait appuye, il montre que les enigmes auxquelles Mauss a ete confronte se dissipent lorsque l'on comprend qu'il est tout a la fois possible de donner un objet et de le garder. Ce qui est donne, c'est le droit d'en user pour d'autres dons, ce qui est garde c'est la propriete, inalienable. Mais il faut encore expliquer pourquoi cette regle de droit s'applique aux objets precieux qu'on donne et non aux objets sacres qu'on garde. La chose s'eclaire lorsqu'on fait apparaitre ce qui est enfoui dans l'objet, l'imaginaire associe au pouvoir. Il apparait donc que toute societe renferme deux ensembles de realites: les unes, soustraites a l'echange, aux dons, au marche, constituent autant de point fixes necessaires pour que les autres circulent. Et c'est precisement la redefinition des ancrages fondamentaux du fait social qui constitue la tâche majeure de la pensee politique aujourd'hui.

The purpose of this paper is to address three major shortcomings of Sen's capability approach with regard to sustainability: (i) First, the weakness of the ecological dimension of the capability framework. This can be overcome by devising a place where it is possible to relate the intrinsic and instrumental values of Nature; (ii) Second, the issue of responsibility, which is only considered from a consequentialist viewpoint by Sen (i.e. ex-post responsibility). Such a restrictive view can be extended by adding the ex-ante dimension of responsibility; (iii) Third, the relationship between the individual and collective levels. This can be overcome by introducing the idea of collective agency. Overcoming these limitations makes it possible to fully integrate the ecological dimension into an extended vision of the capability approach which makes it consistent with strong sustainability, and which leads to a new definition of the agent as a responsible person acting so as to generate sustainable human development.

Cet article s’intéresse aux manières créatives dont différents groupes aborigènes australiens se saisissent d’interfaces en ligne pour présenter des images choisies de leur culture à une audience globale. Les Yolngu de la Terre d’Arnhem, dans le Territoire du Nord de l’Australie, ont commencé depuis quelques années à se filmer avec des caméras et des téléphones portables et à publier en ligne des vidéos de leur vie quotidienne, de cérémonies, d’événements communautaires, de clips musicaux, de courts-métrages et de déclarations politiques sur des sites de partage de contenus tel YouTube. A travers l’analyse d’un phénomène internet récent, une danse appelée « Zorba the Greek Yolngu style », j’examine les façons dont ces pratiques médiatiques autochtones remettent en question certains stéréotypes sur les cultures « traditionnelles » et donnent lieu à de nouvelles formes auto-produites de visibilité publique

Americanae nace como un proyecto conjunto que surge dentro de la Red Europea de Información y Documentación sobre América Latina (REDIAL), y que ha afrontado la Biblioteca de la Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID). Esta nueva biblioteca virtual hace más accesibles los libros digitales de tema americanista a los investigadores y usuarios interesados de cualquier parte del mundo.

This essay—which summarizes the basic theses of my forthcoming book of the same title—seeks to provide a clear and concise formulation of my provisional conclusions on two key issues in the social sciences: the notions of ideology and class. In it, I shall deal successively with four problems: . . .

Cet article décrit les principales racines lexicales ou tournures rhétoriques qui permettent d’exprimer, en langue dalabon d’Australie du Nord, le doute qui renvoie ici, d’après le sens du terme en langue française, à la famille d’expériences recouvrant l’incertitude quant au savoir, le manque de confiance, l’hésitation, les expériences déstabilisantes… Après avoir présenté ma méthode et ses fondements théoriques, j’analyse deux racines verbales, largement exploitées culturellement par les locuteurs du dalabon : njirrk, qui s’articule autour du paradigme social et plus précisément du déficit de communication avec autrui ; kurduh, qui ancre l’expression du doute dans des situations pratiques également saillantes. La langue dalabon encourage l’expression du doute dans le discours, grâce à des formules rhétoriques très courantes qui permettent d’énoncer des séries de possibilités factuelles. Aucun de ces trois modes d’expression du doute ne le présente comme une expérience essentiellement cognitive. D’ailleurs, s’il est effectivement possible de décrire le doute en utilisant le vocabulaire dalabon dédié au domaine cognitif, ces expressions sont reléguées au second plan par les locuteurs, qui les exploitent peu. Cette situation contraste avec l’usage du mot en français. Non seulement la dimension cognitive du doute entre dans les définitions des locuteurs de cette langue, mais en outre cette dimension fait l’objet d’une exploitation culturelle importante dans le monde dit « occidental ». Cette manière d’articuler des notions que la philosophie ou la « pensée ordinaire » occidentales associent au domaine cognitif ou la rationalité, en usant de paradigmes sociaux ou pratiques, exemplifie une tendance qui paraît caractéristique du paysage conceptuel des habitants de cette région de l’Australie.

In greenhouse experiments, Aychade, a fragrant rice variety, was grown under one level of salt solution (EC of 3800 ± 400 μS·cm(-1)) sufficient to induce salt stress in rice. Timing and duration of salt solution application varied according to the growth stages. 2-Acetyl-1-pyrroline (2AP), a characteristic flavor compound of fragrant rice as well as biogenetically related compounds, proline, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were quantified. Salt treatments induced 2AP synthesis in the leaves, but the increase was often higher in the vegetative phase. This increase was correlated with proline level but not with that of GABA. Interestingly the grains from all the salt treated plants contained significantly higher levels of 2AP (733-998 μg·kg(-1)) than those from the control (592 μg·kg(-1)). The highest 2AP synthesis occurred when the plants were subjected to salt treatment during whole vegetative or reproductive phases. However in the latter case crop yield decreased significantly.

The consumption of whole grain foods is associated with many nutritional, health and weight control benefits. The present study assessed whole grain intake in France on the basis of a 7 d dietary survey in a representative sample of children, adolescents and adults (Comportements et Consommations Alimentaires en France 2010 survey). Special care was taken to identify and assess the intake of all whole grains. All foods consumed were considered, with no lower limit on whole grain content. For the majority of foods, details regarding the whole grain contents were obtained from brand information and quantitative nutrient declarations on food labels. Over half of the respondents reported never consuming any whole grain. In participants who did, consumption levels were very low (about 9·1 g/d in children and 14·4 g/d in adults). The main food sources of whole grains were breakfast cereals in children and adolescents and bread in adults. Consumers of whole grains had higher daily intakes of fibre and several vitamins and minerals than non-consumers. In adults but not in children, the OR for overweight/obesity decreased significantly as the level of whole grain consumption increased. Although a majority of French consumers comply with the national recommendation to consume a starchy food with each meal, they do so with minimal consumption of whole grain foods.

International audience

Abstract The 2015 Paris agreement represents a deep-rooted change in global climate governance. While existing scholarly assessments highlight central institutional features of the Paris shift, they tend to overlook its symbolic and discursive dimensions. Our analysis shows that the Paris architecture combines two core elements: an iterative pledge and review process to stimulate global climate action, and a ‘performative’ narrative aimed at aligning actors’ expectations on the prospect of a low-carbon future. We therefore suggest calling it an incantatory system of governance. We then examine the origins of the new approach and find that the rise of ‘soft law’ approaches and communicative techniques in global climate governance are both indicative of a broader process: the entry of management culture in international organisations. Against this backdrop, we examine the prospects, limitations and caveats of the new approach and discuss its wider implications for global politics.

Local rural and indigenous communities have assumed increasing responsibility for conservation within and between areas buffering the impacts of agricultural or resource-extraction zones and protected areas. Empowering local communities as central partners in conservation and climate-change mitigation has allowed many people to gain access to land and citizenship rights but has provided limited improvements in access to social services and economic opportunities even as expectation about their role as environmental stewards grows. These expectations, however, are inconsistent with reality. We conducted multiple field studies in Brazil since the mid-1980s to illustrate the discrepancies between conservation programs and local conditions and expectations. We suggest that public policies and conservation programs should not delegate responsibility for managing protected areas to local and indigenous communities without considering local needs and expectations and locals' attitudes toward conservation. In other words, behavior that maintains or improves the environment should not be treated as traditional based on the expectations of outsiders. Framing local populations as traditional environmentalists creates contradictions and frustrations for local populations and for conservation professionals and policy makers.

Abstract We present the first application of cross-dating (Th/U measured by thermo-ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) and 14 C measured by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS)) of calcite covering prehistoric paintings. Th/U age estimates of cave drapery range from 9800 to 27,300 yr B.P. while conventional 14 C age is estimated between 9900 and 7610 yr B.P. depending on the dead carbon correction. The age discrepancy is attributed to a disturbance of Th/U and/or 14 C geochemical systems, showing the limits of the geochronological approach applied to this kind of material. For the Th/U system, the poor consistency of U data (U content, 234 U/ 238 U activity ratios) and apparent ages argue for open system conditions. For 14 C system, variation of the dead carbon fraction (dcf) and a possible mixing of successive generations of calcite could account for age discrepancy. Nevertheless, one sample shows concordant ages for the two methods. Compatible ages through corrections for open system conditions are assumed for other samples. Then, the cross-dating suggests 9900 yr as the minimum age of the piece of drapery; the underlying painting must be older. This study of rock art demonstrates the presence of a Pleistocene population before 9900 yr in the southeast of Borneo, whereas previously the only population in evidence in this area was of Austronesian type from ∼5000 to 6000 yrs ago.

In this paper, the problem of tracking desired longitudinal and lateral motions for a vehicle is addressed here. Let us point out that a “good” modeling is often quite difficult or even impossible to obtain. It is due for example to parametric uncertainties, for the vehicle mass, inertia or for the interaction forces between the wheels and the road pavement. To overcome this type of difficulties, we consider a model-free control approach leading to “intelligent” controllers. The longitudinal and the lateral motions, on one hand, and the driving/braking torques and the steering wheel angle, on the other hand, are respectively the output and the input variables. An important part of this paper is dedicated to present simulation results with actual data. Actual data, used in MATLAB as reference trajectories, have been previously recorded with an instrumented Peugeot 406 experimental car. The simulation results show the efficiency of our approach. Some comparisons with a nonlinear flatness-based control in one hand, and with a classical PID control in another hand confirm this analysis. Other virtual data have been generated through the interconnected platform SiVIC/RTMaps, which is a virtual simulation platform for prototyping and validation of advanced driving assistance systems.

BACKGROUND: : excess information, including false or misleading information, in digital and physical environments during an acute public health event. This infodemic is leading to confusion and risk-taking behaviors that can be harmful to health, as well as to mistrust in health authorities and public health responses. The World Health Organization (WHO) is working to develop tools to provide an evidence-based response to the infodemic, enabling prioritization of health response activities. OBJECTIVE: In this work, we aimed to develop a practical, structured approach to identify narratives in public online conversations on social media platforms where concerns or confusion exist or where narratives are gaining traction, thus providing actionable data to help the WHO prioritize its response efforts to address the COVID-19 infodemic. METHODS: We developed a taxonomy to filter global public conversations in English and French related to COVID-19 on social media into 5 categories with 35 subcategories. The taxonomy and its implementation were validated for retrieval precision and recall, and they were reviewed and adapted as language about the pandemic in online conversations changed over time. The aggregated data for each subcategory were analyzed on a weekly basis by volume, velocity, and presence of questions to detect signals of information voids with potential for confusion or where mis- or disinformation may thrive. A human analyst reviewed and identified potential information voids and sources of confusion, and quantitative data were used to provide insights on emerging narratives, influencers, and public reactions to COVID-19-related topics. RESULTS: A COVID-19 public health social listening taxonomy was developed, validated, and applied to filter relevant content for more focused analysis. A weekly analysis of public online conversations since March 23, 2020, enabled quantification of shifting interests in public health-related topics concerning the pandemic, and the analysis demonstrated recurring voids of verified health information. This approach therefore focuses on the detection of infodemic signals to generate actionable insights to rapidly inform decision-making for a more targeted and adaptive response, including risk communication. CONCLUSIONS: This approach has been successfully applied to identify and analyze infodemic signals, particularly information voids, to inform the COVID-19 pandemic response. More broadly, the results have demonstrated the importance of ongoing monitoring and analysis of public online conversations, as information voids frequently recur and narratives shift over time. The approach is being piloted in individual countries and WHO regions to generate localized insights and actions; meanwhile, a pilot of an artificial intelligence-based social listening platform is using this taxonomy to aggregate and compare online conversations across 20 countries. Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, the taxonomy and methodology may be adapted for fast deployment in future public health events, and they could form the basis of a routine social listening program for health preparedness and response planning.

International audience

Archaeological research in the Liang Abu rock shelter (East Kalimantan) led to the discovery and analysis of a pottery assemblage including red-slipped, cord-marked and incised pottery sherds, radiocarbon dated to 1672 ± 21 BP and 1524 ± 22 BP. In order to discuss our findings we undertake a reappraisal of the pottery material and associated radiocarbon dates from archaeological sites on Borneo Island, which provide us with an appropriate framework for a comparative analysis. This allows us to to include the inland region of Kalimantan in the technological network of Neolithic Island South East Asia.

Our study identified multiple novel loci associated with bladder cancer susceptibility, bringing the number of independent markers at genome-wide significance to 24. Genetic susceptibility markers, coupled with lifestyle risk factors such as smoking, could guide future preventive measures and screening strategies for bladder cancer. Genomic regions identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for bladder cancer risk provide new insights into etiology. To identify new susceptibility variants for bladder cancer in a meta-analysis of new and existing genome-wide genotype data. Data from 32 studies that includes 13,790 bladder cancer cases and 343, 502 controls of European ancestry were used for meta-analysis. Log-additive associations of genetic variants were assessed using logistic regression models. A fixed-effects model was used for meta-analysis of the results. Stratified analyses were conducted to evaluate effect modification by sex and smoking status. A polygenic risk score (PRS) was generated on the basis of known and novel susceptibility variants and tested for interaction with smoking. Multiple novel bladder cancer susceptibility loci (6p.22.3, 7q36.3, 8q21.13, 9p21.3, 10q22.1, 19q13.33) as well as improved signals in three known regions (4p16.3, 5p15.33, 11p15.5) were identified, bringing the number of independent markers at genome-wide significance ( p < 5 × 10 −8 ) to 24. The 4p16.3 ( FGFR3/TACC3) locus was associated with a stronger risk for women than for men ( p-interaction = 0.002). Bladder cancer risk was increased by interactions between smoking status and genetic variants at 8p22 ( NAT2 ; multiplicative p value for interaction [ p M-I ] = 0.004), 8q21.13 ( PAG1 ; p M-I = 0.01), and 9p21.3 ( LOC107987026/MTAP/CDKN2A ; p M-I = 0.02). The PRS based on the 24 independent GWAS markers (odds ratio per standard deviation increase 1.49, 95% confidence interval 1.44–1.53), which also showed comparable results in two prospective cohorts (UK Biobank, PLCO trial), revealed an approximately fourfold difference in the lifetime risk of bladder cancer according to the PRS (e.g., 1st vs 10th decile) for both smokers and nonsmokers. We report novel loci associated with risk of bladder cancer that provide clues to its biological underpinnings. Using 24 independent markers, we constructed a PRS to stratify lifetime risk. The PRS combined with smoking history, and other established risk factors, has the potential to inform future screening efforts for bladder cancer. We identified new genetic markers that provide biological insights into the genetic causes of bladder cancer. These genetic risk factors combined with lifestyle risk factors, such as smoking, may inform future preventive and screening strategies for bladder cancer.