Books & ideas

The Spirit of Bridges

Ivan Jablonka — 2019-08-29T07:00:00Z

What's more ordinary than a bridge? However, a bridge is a living structure that has to be designed, built and maintained. Here is our interview with a legendary bridge designer, who is also a man skilled in the art.

Habermas in the public sphere

Clotilde Nouët — 2019-02-28T07:00:00Z

In this intellectual portrait of the enfant terrible of the Frankfurt School, S. Müller-Doohm presents us with an indefatigable polemicist whose various stands have marked the last fifty years. This first ever biography of Habermas also takes us through post-war German history.

Big Data: The Far West of Information?

Cristelle Terroni — 2015-09-17T08:30:00Z

What is big data ? Who uses it and how ? Pierre-Michel Menger and Simon Paye analyse the economics of these new information flows, which are transforming both marketing and consumption practices, and probably social sciences as well.

The Recruitment Game

Sarah Labelle & Aude Seurrat — 2015-06-18T06:00:00Z

A communication tool based on video games, the “serious game” is increasingly being used by companies for a variety of purposes, including marketing, training and recruitment. This article shows how these games help to develop and share values and standards for the business world.

Living the Enlightenment

Christophe Litwin — 2015-05-18T05:30:00Z

Enlightenment philosophy was invented in salons and coffee houses. It was spread by men and women of letters, but also in the dynamic context of major cities. In his book, Stéphane Van Damme explores the history of these Enlightenment practices.

Masses Taking Over The Square

Kirill Postoutenko — 2012-02-02T08:41:22Z

The ordered occupation of public spaces by the masses played a central role in the rituals of the Soviet state. Drawing on a long tradition of Russian holidays, mass festivals were supposed to display for all to see the happy marriage between leaders and citizenry. They also contributed to the economic collapse of the Soviet Union.

Risk and the Masses

Jean-Baptiste Fressoz — 2010-12-03T08:00:00Z

The failure of the vaccination campaign against the H1N1 virus has sometimes been blamed on the ‘wild rumours' circulating on the Internet. According to Jean-Baptiste Fressoz, this interpretation misses the point. He offers a stimulating historical parallel between the inoculation against smallpox in the 18^th century and the H1N1 outbreak of 2009. His analysis highlights the limitations of risk as a method of persuasion and body management.

Multilingualism Is a Humanism

Leyla Dakhli — 2010-04-15T12:37:12Z

As Umberto Eco once said, “the language of Europe is translation”. In an essay that strikes a political chord, François Ost rises up in defence of the diversity and invincibility of languages. Translation first takes place within an individual language and must free itself from the myth of the single language.