La loisirification de la nature. Approche sociologique d’une transformation à partir du cas de trois parcs angevins

Abstract

Before becoming park land designed to welcome the public, these places were previously fallow lands, meadows, riverbanks, or forests. How has the husbandry of public or private institutions affected them, transforming them into green “parks” dedicated to leisure activities? This article looks at some of the sociological principles behind this process of transformation, for which we have coined the term “leisurification” of nature. From a study of three parks with different ownerships (family business, local town council, multinational corporation), a similar process emerges of reallocation, division of labour, and marketing of the three sites.

Keywords

• transformation
• leisure
• nature
• parks
• marketing
• sports