Entre innovation et tradition : la difficile construction d’un « monde commun » dans un espace naturel de moyenne montagne

Abstract

This study focuses on a natural area of middle-altitude mountain (the col du Barioz resort) located near Grenoble in France. The site is characterized by interactions between sports, tourism and institutional stakeholders that are intertwined with more traditional uses of the area such as hunting and pastoral activities. The objective of this study is to analyze a space of ordinary nature and to understand how the organization of the site changes with innovations. The survey is based on semi-structured interviews with the main stakeholders of the site. The action context is characterized by a heightened conflict between different sports and non-sports practitioners: skiers and snowboarders, snowshoers and cross-country skiers, hunting and various sporting activities, practices involving travel such as mountain biking, or equestrian tourism and pastoral activities. Using actor–network theory, the authors show how some sports innovations deconstruct existing networks by multiplying conflicts. For example, the introduction of a fee for snowshoeing was a mediator that broke up the tourism network. The authors also highlight how resistance to change is organized, sometimes resulting in the exclusion of sports activities which are seen as disturbing other, traditional uses of the site.