Dear fellow Critters,
Laurent Couderchet, Christian Kull & I are advertising for a paid PhD studentship at Irstea. The position is based at the ‘Environment, stakeholders and regional dynamics’ lab of Irstea Cestas, near Bordeaux (France), with a planned stay at the Institute of Geography and Sustainability in Lausanne.
More details here on the project and the application process: https://pasi.irstea.fr/en/campagne/7/sujet/3100
We highly welcome the application of all kinds of critical geographers: the student should be cognizant of qualitative research methods and cartography / GIScience, with an interest for the social/political dimensions of environmental change. Please note that the fluency in spoken French is an absolute prerequisite for the fieldwork. The position is full-time, for three years, starting November 2017.
| Baptiste Hautdidier Irstea | UR ETBX 50, Avenue de Verdun, Gazinet F-33612 Cestas Cedex, France office: +33(0)5 57 89 01 90 / mobile: +33(0)6 33 80 64 91 |
Project description : Doing for, making do? On the socioecologial dynamics around Black Locust forests in southwestern France.
In line with other ‘invasive alien species’ officially defined as such in France or in the European Union, the black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) has been the subject of conflicting views about its origins, behaviour and impacts. Present in Europe for four centuries, valued by a noticeable share of foresters for its wood durability, it is somehow at the crossroads, neither fully considered exotic, nor invasive, nor a pest. However, to date, the tree has not met an institutional recognition in relation with its potential economic uses. This marginality may not last, insofar as locust forests could become emblematic components of the emerging landscapes of the energy transition. This PhD project aims to answer why, in spite of their prominence in west-european landscapes, the wooded spaces dominated by Robinia pseudacacia have remained so underinvestigated - i.e. unproblematised or rendered invisible - by their users. The work will contribute to a broader interdisciplinary programme, aiming at understanding the trajectories of forest spaces in southwestern France. The research will propose an analysis of current and past struggles over the expectations, desires and legitimacies attributed to various forms of future forests. It will also examine the intertwined identities of those feeling eligible to make these choices. With an intensive fieldwork located in the ‘Nouvelle Aquitaine’ region (SW France), the approach will rely on qualitative research enquiries - aimed at owners, managers, technical advisers and dwellers-, combined with a critical engagement of large scale geographical data - both existing and newly created.