L’Atelier d’écologie politique toulousain (Atécopol) : pour un engagement scientifique
Résumé
The Toulouse studies in political ecology (Atécopol) was created in October 2018 as an informal network of scientists. This group was later acknowledged as an “expertise platform” by the Toulouse University and CNRS Maison des sciences de l’homme et de la société. It brings together a diversity of disciplines and professional statuses, the aim being to create bridges between scientific knowledge and social and political debates at regional scales and beyond. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate, through the Atécopol initiative, both the positive outcomes and the challenges of adopting a political ecology posture and of claiming, as scientists, a moral position. Atécopol considers that researchers hold a responsibility both in the current state of ecological upheavals and in the failures to offer imaginaries beyond the technological paradigm. Atécopol therefore intends to transform local organizations and institutions within the research community, and more broadly within society as a whole. It emphasizes that even though individual agency is instrumental in ecological transformation, the central issue is to question the structures that reproduce the system of thinking and acting. The actions undertaken so far by Atécopol include knowledge circulation (training, communication, scientific events…), public interpellation (opinion columns, petitions…), as well as challenging research policies. The Atécopol experience meets growing success and is rich in challenges and lessons related to the democratic, political and moral dimensions of research.
L’Atelier d’écologie politique (Atécopol) regroupe, depuis sa création en octobre 2018, des scientifiques de la région toulousaine de disciplines et de statuts variés. Pointant la responsabilité du secteur de la recherche autant dans l’état des bouleversements écologiques actuels que dans les récits qu’il en propose, l’Atécopol vise à transformer les organisations académiques et sociales. Les actions entreprises couvrent la circulation des connaissances, l’interpellation publique et la remise en cause des politiques de recherche. La formule expérimentée par l’Atécopol rencontre un succès croissant et est riche de questionnements et d’enseignements quant aux dimensions démocratiques, civiques et, plus fondamentalement, politiques et morales de la recherche.