Crognier, Emile

I-Revues

ECOL. H UM. ,Vol.V,n°l,l 98 7 , 3 - 7 
E D I T O R I A L 
DES E C O L O G I E S H U M A I N E S O U U N E E C O L O G I E H U M A I N E ? 
L a c o n n a i s s a n c e sc ient i f ique n'évolue pas par progress ion c o n t i n u e , 
mais par saut , lorsque l 'édi f ice théor ique qui c o n f è r e une i n t e l l i g e n c e 
au rée l , dev ient i n c a p a b l e d ' inc lure h a r m o n i e u s e m e n t de nouveaux 
a p p o r t s . 
C o m m e d ' a u t r e s discipl ines a y a n t l ' ê t r e humain c o m m e sujet 
d 'é tude , l ' anthropo log ie biologique a ainsi t r a v e r s é des c r i s e s s u c c e s s i v e s . 
L a plus r é c e n t e s 'est produi te au début des a n n é e s s o i x a n t e e t provint 
sans doute du déséqui l ibre qui s ' é t a i t i n s t a u r é e n t r e les c o n j e c t u r e s 
f o r m é e s sur la n a t u r e , l ' é tendue e t les m é c a n i s m e s de la d i v e r s i t é 
humaine e t les i n f o r m a t i o n s t r o p l a c u n a i r e s dont d isposaient les c h e r c h e u r s 
pour en é p r o u v e r les va leurs . 
Sous l'impulsion de quelques c h e f s de file, s ' e n g a g e a a l o r s 
un v a s t e e f f o r t d'acquis i t ion de données , qui par l ' i n t e r m é d i a i r e de 
l 'organisat ion du P .B . I . ( P r o g r a m m e Biologique I n t e r n a t i o n a l ) puis du 
M . A . B . ( p r o g r a m m e "Man and the Biosphère") , conduis i t de n o m b r e u s e s 
équipes à a c c u m u l e r des o b s e r v a t i o n s sur des t h è m e s mult ip les e t 
dans t o u t e s s o r t e s de populat ions . 
L ' e x p l o i t a t i o n de c e s d e r n i è r e s , pour avo ir é t é pro f i tab le sur 
n o m b r e de peints p a r t i c u l i e r s , n o t a m m e n t sur c e u x qui se t r o u v a i e n t 
les plus p r o c h e s des p r é o c c u p a t i o n s de la biologie f o n d a m e n t a l e (par 
e x : les po lymorphismes géné t iques , l ' a d a p t a b i l i t é physiologique e t 
morphologique, la c r o i s s a n c e e t le d é v e l o p p e m e n t , e t c . ) , se h e u r t a 
c e p e n d a n t à de sér ieuses d i f f i cu l tés c o n c e p t u e l l e s , lorsqu'il s 'agit 
d'en i n t é g r e r les é l é m e n t s à un niveau synthé t ique plus é l e v é . 
C ' e s t qu'en e f f e t , les p r o t o c o l e s minut ieux qui a v a i e n t é t é 
mis en o e u v r e , a v a i e n t é t é en m e s u r e de r é v é l e r l ' i m p o r t a n c e , bien 
plus grande que supposé, des c i r c o n s t a n c e s h i s tor iques , c u l t u r e l l e s , 
soc ia l e s , é c o n o m i q u e s . . . aux c ô t é s des f a c t e u r s du milieu physique, 
k. 
dans l 'express ion des phénomènes biologiques. 
L ' a n t h r o p o l o g i e biologique en vint donc p r o g r e s s i v e m e n t à 
r é v i s e r ses p a r a d i g m e s e t hormis les équipes qui se t o u r n è r e n t d é l i b é r é -
m e n t vers des o b j e c t i f s t r è s s t r i c t e m e n t biologiques, peu suscept ib le s 
d ' ê t r e s é r i e u s e m e n t a f f e c t é s par des i n c i d e n c e s du monde c u l t u r e l 
e t socia l (par e x : l ' é tude des d iverses f o r m e s al lé l iques d'un s y s t è m e 
g é n é t i q u e sanguin) , s ' employa à les r e c o n s t r u i r e en y i n c o r p o r a n t t a n t 
bien que mal des r é f é r e n c e s r e l e v a n t des s c i e n c e s humaines . 
C ' e s t à c e t t e époque (à p a r t i r des années s o i x a n t e d ix ) , que 
de n o m b r e u x c h e r c h e u r s (b io log is tes bien sûr, mais aussi a n t h r o p o l o g u e s 
s o c i a u x , g é o g r a p h e s , é c o n o m i s t e s , soc io logues , urbani s tes , phi losophes . . . ) 
c o m m e n c è r e n t à e m p l o y e r le t e r m e "écologie humaine", pour r e p r é s e n t e r 
leur a p p r o c h e des prob lèmes . L e plus souvent , c e v o c a b l e ne fa i sa i t 
q u ' e x p r i m e r leur souci d'une c o n c e p t i o n c o m p l e x e , mul t id i sc ip l ina ire , 
des pro je t s e t la c o n s c i e n c e que leur a b o u t i s s e m e n t ne p o u r r a i t ê t r e 
a t e i n t qu'à l 'aide d'une ana lyse qui se voudrai t le plus possible sys témique , 
Quinze ans plus t a r d , il faut bien conven ir que les p r o g r è s 
ont é t é for t lents , c a r les d iverses discipl ines c o n c e r n é e s en sont e n c o r e 
à r e c h e r c h e r des c o n c e p t s c o m m u n s e t une s é m a n t i q u e c o m m u n e , 
pour ne pas m e n t i o n n e r la définit ion d 'éventue l s p r o j e t s d 'é tude e t 
les méthodo log i e s qui s'y r a p p o r t e r a i e n t . 
Il e s t donc bien près d'y avo ir a u t a n t d 'éco log ie s humaines 
qu'il y a de discipl ines a y a n t ut i l i sé c e t t e dénominat ion . Quoi de sur-
p r e n a n t ? C o n t r a i r e m e n t aux é t a p e s p r é c é d e n t e s , il ne s 'ag i t plus 
ici d 'é tabl ir une nouvel le s t r u c t u r e logique e t s igni f iante des c o n n a i s -
s a n c e s d'une m ê m e discipl ine, ma i s d 'harmoniser e t de fondre en une 
seule f o r m e de pensée , des é l é m e n t s de c o n n a i s s a n c e qui é m a n e n t 
de modes de penser d ivers , si c e n'est c o n t r a i r e s . 
L a r o u t e à p a r c o u r i r e s t donc v i s ib lement e n c o r e f o r t longue. 
Dans l ' é t a t p r é s e n t , la t e n d a n c e c o u r a n t e n ' e s t - e l l e pas pour c h a q u e 
c h e r c h e u r qui a c c e p t e de s o r t i r des d o m a i n e s spéc i f iques de sa discipl ine, 
à s ' e f f o r c e r d 'assurer à lui seul la mul t id i sc ip l inar i t é ( e t d'en a s s u m e r 
les r i sques)? 
EDITORIAL 
FROM HUMAN ECOLOGIES TO HUMAN ECOLOGY? 
Science does not evolve steadily, but through successive jumps, 
when the actual paradigm becomes unable to include further information. 
Like other disciplines devoted to human studies, biological 
anthropology got accross such crisis. The latest occured during the 
sixties, as a probable outcome of the growing discrepancy between 
the accumulation of hypothesis subsequent to . the general improvement 
of knowledge in biology, on the nature, the extent and the mechanisms 
of human diversity, and the old fashioned, basic set of observations 
disponible to test them. 
At that time, several leading scholars set up the LB.P. (Interna-
tional Biological Program), which federated a number of teams of 
Un p r o g r è s s ign i f i cat i f , c o n s i s t e r a i t à i n s t a u r e r des "zones 
de l ibre é c h a n g e " des idées , a v a n t d'en venir un jour à quelque " P r o -
g r a m m e E c o l o g i q u e Internat iona l" . 
A sa m a n i è r e depuis q u a t r e ans , c e "bulletin d 'éco log ie humaine" 
s ' e f f o r c e d'offrir aux c h e r c h e u r s l'une de c e s zones de l ibre é c h a n g e ; 
un i n t e r f a c e e n t r e des discipl ines pour lesquel les le t e r m e "écolog ie 
humaine" a une va leur o p é r a t o i r e . Dans le but d'en p e r m e t t r e plus 
a i s é m e n t l ' a c c è s aux n o m b r e u x l e c t e u r s qui ne c o n n a i s s e n t pas le f r a n ç a i s , 
ses r é d a c t e u r s ont pensé ut i le d'en doubler les t e x t e s par un r é s u m é 
en anglais , aussi c o n s i s t a n t que possible. C ' e s t c e m ê m e espr i t d 'ouver-
t u r e e t de r e c h e r c h e de c o n t a c t s , qui les a m è n e à y inc lure é g a l e m e n t 
des in format ions c o n c e r n a n t l ' éco log ie humaine , des ana lyse s d 'ouvrages 
e t des dépoui l l ements de revues . 
E m i l e C R O G N I E R 
research throughout the world, to collect data on a large variety of 
topics and in the most diverse populations. 
If the enterprise has been positive on a basic level, particularly 
for questions which were close to fundamental biology (for instance: 
genetic polymorphisms, physiological and morphological adaptability, 
growth and development, etc.), the attempts of synthesis on higher 
levels were faced to unexpectedly important difficulties. The minute 
and carefully set methodologies, had revealed that historic, economic, 
cultural or social circumstances, as well as the physical environment, 
exerted a great influence on biological processes. 
Biological anthropology had therefore to change its paradigms 
and but for scholars invested in strictly biologic researches (as for 
example the elucidation of diverse allelic determinisms of blood polymor­
phisms), undertook to build new ones. These new paradigms had to 
take into account sociocultural items. 
From that time (in the seventies), many scholars in diverse 
branches of science (biologists of course, but also geographers, social 
anthropologists, sociologists, economists, urbanists...) began to label 
their activities as human ecology. It seems clear that this expression 
would not refer to a unique branch of science, but would depict the 
complex and multidisciplinary understanding that they had of their 
goals. 
Fifteen years later, we have to admit that improvements 
are very scarce. The different disciplines involved are still seeking 
to define common concepts and semantics, while projects and methods 
are not already tackled. 
It is probable then that there are still as many uhuman ecologies11 
as branches having once handled this appellation. Is it quite unexpected? 
The question into debate is no more the reorganization of knowledge 
within the bounds of a same discipline, but the establishment of a 
single, united approach made from heterogeneous materials. 
The road ahead is obviously long then.' Isn't it usual 
for scholars who dare to venture alone in these new lands, to try their 
skill at multidisciplinarity? 
A significant progress would be to set up "free-exchange" 
areas for ideas, before thinking of some "International Human Ecological 
Program". 
This "bulletin d'écologie humaine" has been trying for four 
years to be one of these free-exchange areas. As a growing number 
of its readers are now outside France, we have decided to facilitate 
its access to non french-speaking people, with the insertion of consistant 
summaries in english (even if it is not the best english). In the same 
spirit of conviviality, there will also be from time to time, books 
reviews, contents of several journals and informations related with 
human ecology. 
Emile CROGNIER 


Editorial : Des écologies humaines ou une écologie humaine

http://documents.irevues.inist.fr/bitstream/2042/41271/1/BEH_1987_1_3.pdf

Editorial : Des écologies humaines ou une écologie humaine

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

I-Revues