Jeux d'échelles, territoires de recherche. Exemples africains et malgaches

Abstract

This article highlights the interplay of scales in the work of a researcher mapping out a research itinerary. The question at hand is that of the choice of a particular scale of observation, or series of nested scales. Two types of areas were studied in the tropical countryside, in Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Madagascar. The first area type are those constructed by the actors (context of research), highlighting the native land. The second area type are those constructed by the actors (context of action), through a policy of decentralization focusing on the new rural commune. In both cases, cartographical representation plays an important role. Maps are able to analyze, they produce information within the spatial context of the actors, they are an instrument of thinking, and they support a dialogue between researchers and developers. Since the 1990s, policies addressing the management of natural resources while recognizing the role of local populations ponder the correct choice of spatial scale: the local scale (native land) or the supralocal scale (the rural commune).

Keywords

• territory
• scale
• local
• rural
• terroirs
• decentralization/decentralisation