O objetivo do nosso esforço analítico neste trabalho de pesquisa incide na compreensão do processo de transformação de uma fração do território, iniciando pela análise do território original indígena até chegar ao desvendamento das novas territorialidades camponesas resultantes as da atuação do Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra - MST. É esta questão que norteia a presente pesquisa, cujo recorte geográfico é o Noroeste do Paraná, uma fração desse Estado que teve um rápido processo de transformação territorial num curto espaço de tempo. Para compreendermos esta metamorfose partimos do pressuposto de que a lógica da construção do território é uma unidade dialética em que simultaneamente ocorrem a construção, a destruição, a manutenção e, evidentemente, a transformação. Nesse contexto, procuramos desvendar tal processo através da identificação de três momentos históricos: o do território original indígena, o do advento da formação da propriedade privada, com o desenvolvimento da colonização, e por fim, o da construção das novas territorialidades camponesas, objeto da tese. Sendo assim, a análise das evidências para compreendermos o processo de transformação do território está desenvolvida da maneira a seguir descrita. Após a introdução, no primeiro capítulo, expomos os caminhos de construção da investigação, identificando o recorte geográfico em que ela ocorre e apresentando a reflexão teóricometodológica e os conceitos que sustentam esta pesquisa. No segundo capítulo, somando-nos às pesquisas dos estudiosos que tratam da questão indígena no Norte do Paraná, procuramos, da mesma maneira contribuir para a desmistificação do discurso hegemônico do \"vazio demográfico\" implantado nesta região no período em que estava sendo colonizada e mostrar que a região estudada, até um passado recente que coincide com o período da colonização, tinha como seus primeiros habitantes a população autóctone, sendo, portanto, território original dos povos indígenas. No terceiro capítulo, procuramos compreender, utilizando entrevistas com fontes orais, o desenvolvimento do processo de colonização que se inicia nos primórdios da década de 1950. Paralelamente à colonização, destacamos, igualmente os acontecimentos que envolvem os conflitos pela posse da terra na região. Por fim, no quarto capítulo o trabalho demonstra que após a fase de ocupação efetuada através da colonização, a partir de meados da década de 1980, ocorre uma nova forma de ocupação do território, desenvolvida pelo MST, a qual vai influenciar diretamente a construção das novas territorialidades camponesas, através das desapropriações dos grandes latifúndios improdutivos e imissão de posse aos camponeses. / The aim of the analytical effort, in this study, focus on the understanding of the transformation process happening in a determined territory fraction. It started with the investigation of the original indian territory up to revealing the new peasants` territorialities, which resulted from the acting of the Landless Workers Movement (LWM), known in Brazil as MST Movement. That issue directs the present study, whose geographical focus is a fraction of the state - Northeast of Paraná, which in a short period of time has undergone a fast transformation process. In order to understand such a metamorphosis, it was presumed that, the logic of territory construction is a dialectic unit, in which the construction, as well as the destruction, maintenance and transformation occur simultaneously. In such a context, the transformation process was submitted to an investigation, by identifying three historical movements: the original indian territory, the advent of forming private properties, happening with the colonization development, and finally, the construction of new peasants` territorialities in fact the main aim of the present study. Thus, further, the development of the evidence analysis is described, in order to promote the comprehension concerning the process of territory transformation. After introducing the theme, the first chapter focus on the ways used to construct the investigation, thus identifying the geographical area in which it occurs, and presenting the theoretical-methodological reflection, as well as the concepts on which the present study is based. In the second chapter, joining our study to other studies dealing with Indian issues focusing the North of Parana State, there was an attempt to contribute to demystify the hegemonic discourse of \'demographic emptiness\' implanted in that region during the colonization period. The aim was to show that till a recent past, which coincides with the colonization period, the region under investigation had the autochthon population as its first inhabitants, therefore, being a territory originally from indian people. In the third chapter, oral interviews used to understand the development of the colonization process, which started in the 50´s are explored. Simultaneously to the colonization, happenings involving conflicts for possessing the land are pointed out. Finally, in the fourth chapter it is demonstrated that, after the occupation phase through the colonization, a new form of territory occupation happened in the 80´s. Such occupation was developed by the movement of landless people, which has been influencing directly the construction of new peasants` territorialities, through the dispossession or expropriation of some large land areas, considered as non- productive latifundiuns, thus resulting in emitting legal documents of property favoring the peasants.

The study was conducted to describe how socio-economic characteristics (SEC) of women affect their utilization of maternal healthcare services in Abuja Municipal Areas Council (AMAC) in Abuja Nigeria. A non-experimental, facility-based cross-sectional survey was done. Data was collected using structured interviewer administered questionnaire in 5 district hospitals in AMAC. Sample size of 384 was calculated a priori based on the assumption that 50% of the target population utilized maternal healthcare services during their last pregnancy. Equal allocation of samples per facility was done. The ANC register was used as the sampling frame and proportionate allocation of samples per clinic days was undertaken in each facility. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, cross tabulations and measures of inequality. Logistic regression analysis was used to test the hypothesized relationship between socioeconomic characteristics (predictors) and maternal healthcare service utilization. Other than birth order that showed consistent effect, the results of this study indicated that the predictive effect (predisposing and enabling factors) of the SEC of women included in this study (age, education, birth order, location of residence, income group and coverage by health insurance) on maternal healthcare service utilization were not consistent when considered independently (bivariate analysis) as opposed to when considered together through logistic regression. In addition, the study revealed that there was inequality in the utilization of maternal healthcare services (ante-natal care - ANC, delivery care and post natal care - PNC, and contraceptive services) among women with different SEC, and the payment system for maternal healthcare services was regressive. Addressing these predictors in the natural co-existing state (as indicated by the logistic regression) is essential for equitable access and utilization of healthcare during pregnancy, delivery and the postnatal period, and for contraceptive services in AMAC, Abuja Nigeria. Targeted policy measures and programme actions guided by these findings are recommended to optimise returns on investment towards achieving national and global goals on maternal health in Nigeria / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

This study investigated the factors influencing the utilisation of PMTCT of HIV services and proposed measures to promote service utilisation by HIV positive pregnant women in the FCT, Abuja, Nigeria. Effective interventions exist that can reduce the transmission of HIV infection to the baby. The study is a quantitative descriptive one, with 190 HIV positive pregnant women from 20 health Centres in three area councils in Abuja, who were interviewed using structured questionnaire to get their opinion. The findings revealed that the majority (90.4%) of the respondents were aware of PMTCT and how HIV can be transmitted from mother-to-child. The respondents (95.9%) were of the opinion that all pregnant women should be tested. Notably, PMTCT services will be hindered by the following: permission from spouse before being tested, couple counselling not done, group post test counselling, non-incorporation of family planning and low support group enrolment. Recommendations made include emphasis on couple counselling, confidentiality and friendly environment / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

Faced with the profound social and ecological threats posed by extractivist projects such as large hydroelectric dams, wind farms, and mining operations, many indigenous communities and their allies in Mexico have articulated new forms of contentious politics into a broad territorial defense movement. This project explores the strategies of contention practiced by an anti-mining movement based in the Municipality of San José del Progreso in the southern state of Oaxaca. As a deeply-divided community that has suffered increased violence and conflict directly related to a Canadian-owned gold and silver mine operating in its vicinity, it presents a valuable case study in how strong social movements can still develop under conditions of disunity. This study combines ethnographic and archival research methods to uncover the deep historical roots of community division, and to develop a close analysis of the contentious strategies employed by the anti-mining movement. The historical record and local narratives show the central role that hacienda colonialism played in creating a salient geography of ethnic discrimination and division in the municipality whose effects can still be seen today. In response to the ongoing processes of colonization and dispossession in San José del Progreso, a legacy of contention has defined and defended both campesino (peasant farmer) and indigenous claims to local territory. More than a series of instrumental strategies designed to expel the hacienda and later mine project, this politics of contention operates as a form of social memory to produce a hybrid form of indigenous/campesino identity linked to healthy land stewardship, an interconnectedness between the earth and human subjects, and a shared history of struggle. As a result, the anti-mining movement in San José del Progreso has shown success in converting its troubled past and checkered present into the foundations of a healthy social and ecological commons, independent of its failure to fully-unite the municipality or close down the mine project in the short-run. / text

La thèse se présente en trois parties qui reprennent les trois mots clés du titre et mettent en perspective la fonction d’observation territoriale, par une approche de la complexité essentiellement empirique et faisant référence de manière récurrente à la systémique.La première partie s’intéresse à la notion polysémique de territoire. La modélisation du processus de territorialisation permet alors de contourner la difficulté sémantique qui découle des multiples acceptions du terme rencontrées dans la littérature et au cours des entretiens conduits auprès de spécialistes. Le territoire se révèle alors sous la forme d’une représentation, combinant des dimensions matérielles et immatérielles, des représentations individuelles et collectives.La deuxième partie s’appuie sur des réalisations concrètes d’observatoires pour élaborer et mettre en oeuvre une approche comparée, entre une trentaine d’observatoires, sous l’angle de leur structuration et de leur fonctionnement. Cette seconde partie du travail révèle des situations très contrastées et l’absence d’un modèle consensuel qui sont les signes de réalisations opportunes, et non d’une approche normalisée de la fonction d’observation.La prise en compte des jeux d’acteurs s’opère au cours de la troisième partie qui traite de la gouvernance pour et par l’observation. Nous réinterrogeons alors les structures et les organisations qui se mettent en place autour des observatoires et d’un enjeu qui est celui de l’aide à la décision par l’instrumentation de l’information géographique. / The thesis is presented in three parts which include the three key words of the title and put intoperspective the function of territorial observation, with an approach to complexity mostly empiricaland constantly referring to systemics.The first part focuses on the polysemic notion of territory. Modeling the process of territorializationallows us to bypass the semantic difficulty that arises from multiple uses of the term in the literatureand in interviews conducted with experts. The territory is then revealed in different forms ofcombinations of tangible and intangible dimensions, and individual or collective representations.The second part is based on concrete achievements of observatories to develop and implement acomparative approach between thirty observatories according to their structure and functioning. Thissecond part of the work reveals sharp contrasts and lack of a consensual model which are the signs ofachievement and not an appropriate standard approach based on observation.Consideration sets of actors takes place during the third part which deals with governance for and byobservation. We raise questions about the structures and organizations which exist or should be set upso as to allow a better integration of observatories and an issue that is the decision support by theinstrumentation of geographic information

Notre questionnement traite du rapport privilégié existant entre la culture et l’espace géographique du Rouergue. Les concepts abordés sont ceux inclus dans les notions de culture (langues usuelles, savoirs, savoir-faire, comportements, productions artistiques) ainsi que celle de nature (espace rural, territoires en construction, lieux vécus et paysages). Depuis le XXe siècle et la régression de l’usage de la langue occitane, une nouvelle construction culturelle est en cours. Celle-ci apparaît comme porteuse d’une dynamique rurale précieuse. Mais des incompréhensions nourrissent des crispations identitaires relatives à des objectifs contradictoires d’investissements sur le territoire. En effet, des oppositions complexifient les relations sociales et engendrent un mal être. Face à ces enjeux de développement local, la construction culturelle en cours reste tributaire à la fois des influences exogènes (la culture mondialisée) et des représentations populaires locales. Notre hypothèse consiste à démontrer que la culture résulte d’un construit social en lien avec la culture mondialisée mais aussi avec la nature perçue par la diversité des habitants. En tant que potentiel de changement, la culture est en partie véhiculée par des représentations de la nature. Elle se construit selon trois voies distinctes : la culture atavique, la culture mondialisée et la culture composite (ou de contact). La culture apparaît bien en lien avec le territoire en exerçant d’abord une sorte de médiation populaire, ensuite en véhiculant un véritable héritage polymorphe et enfin en permettant une différenciation sociale des habitants. / This thesis examines the privileged relationship between culture and the geographical area in Rouergue. It addresses concepts encompassed by the notion of culture (shared languages, knowledge, know-how, attitudes, interpersonal skills, local art) and nature (rurality, territories under construction, places and perceived landscapes). The dawning of the 20th century and the decline of Occitan has led to a new cultural construction that has engendered promising rural dynamics. However, identity tensions related to conflicting investment objectives in the region are feeding misunderstandings. A dichotomous opposition between natives and newcomers has rendered social relations complex and nourished feelings of ill will. In light of these challenges to local development, the cultural construction underway depends on both exogenous influences (global culture) and traditional local representations. Our hypothesis aims to demonstrate that culture is the result of a social construct connected to global culture, but also linked to nature as it is perceived by its inhabitants (natives and newcomers). As a potential element of change, culture is mediated by representations of nature. It is built on three axes that interact and/or oppose one another: atavistic culture, global culture and composite culture (either through contact or mixing). Culture is clearly linked to the land from which it emerges, first as a mediating force between the population and nature, then as a vehicle of a genuine polymorphic heritage, and finally as an instrument of social differentiation.

Dans l'Algérie française de la fin des années 1860, l'Etat est à la recherche d'une organisation administrative du territoire conquis. Plusieurs formes communales se développent et parmi elles, la commune mixte. Pour ses concepteurs, la création de cette entité a une visée singulière : étendre la colonisation dans l'intérieur du pays par l'accroissement du peuplement européen dans des villages ; favoriser le contact colons/colonisés et le développement d'une « éducation civique » de ces derniers. C'est donc une construction transitoire vers la commune de plein exercice, telle qu'elle existe en métropole. Dans les faits, les communes mixtes perdurent et ce jusqu'à leur disparition, institutionnalisée en 1947, mais effective à partir de 1956. La commune mixte de La Calle est érigée en 1884 à la frontière algéro-tunisienne. Son évolution est fortement liée à l'histoire de ce pays voisin, tour à tour Régence, protectorat français puis nation indépendante. A grande échelle, ce territoire évolue également en fonction de dynamiques de populations imprévues par le projet initial : mobilités diverses, enjeux fonciers. Les crises économiques, les guerres mondiales et la guerre d'Algérie sont autant de bouleversements internationaux qui marquent fortement le territoire de cette commune mixte. Cette étude vise à exposer le processus de construction d'un espace administratif, mais aussi à saisir les divers modes d'appropriation d'un territoire par l'ensemble des groupes qui forment son espace social. / In the late 1860s, in French Algeria, the State seeks an administrative organization of the conquered territory. Several communal forms grow and among them, the ”commune mixte ”. For its thinkers, this entity is created to expand settlement in the country by increasing European settlement in villages, but also to promote contacts between settlers and colonized people and to develop a "civic education". It is therefore a transitional construction to full-function joint as it exists in France. But in fact, the “communes mixtes” persist until their disappearance, institutionalized in 1947, but effective from 1956. The “commune mixte” of La Calle was erected in 1884 on the border between Algeria and Tunisia. Its development is closely linked to the history of the neighboring space that turns to the Regency, the French Protectorate and the independent nation. On a large scale, this area also changes depending on population dynamics unforeseen by the original project, related to mobility and land issues. Economic crises, world wars and the war in Algeria are all international upheavals that mark the territory of the ”commune mixte”. This study aims to describe the process of constructing an administrative space, but also to capture the various ways of appropriation of territory by all groups within its social space.

Le sujet de l'eau et du territoire en Israël, est au coeur de la problématique actuelle de ce pays. Comment l'eau a-t-elle façonné les politiques d'aménagement du territoire en Israël ? Comment est-elle devenue un facteur décisif de développement et de paix régionale ? Sujet essentiel de la formation et de l'aménagement du territoire de ce pays, c'est l'eau qui sera le facteur de paix déterminant de toute la région. II m'a semblé intéressant de travailler cette question car elle rend compte de la situation actuelle de la ressource, c'est-à-dire d'une gestion de plus en plus intégrée et durable des eaux du Jourdain, avec ses implications multiples pour Israël et ses voisins. De plus, une analyse diachronique de la gestion de la ressource est en mesure de retracer l'évolution des politiques d'aménagement du territoire israélien A ce titre, l'étude de la vallée de Beth Shean et du cours du Harod, affluent de rive droite du Jourdain, offre un exemple de l'évolution de l'aménagement du territoire et de la maîtrise de l'eau. Il conviendra de s'interroger sur la validité" de cet exemple de gestion de la ressource et de se demander s'il a permis un développement harmonieux et durable de la région. Cet exemple a été très proche du modèle d'aménagement du territoire en Israël, et il a répondu à l'objectif de construction d'un Etat neuf et à une gestion intégrale de la ressource. Qu'advient-il de ce mode de gestion aujourd'hui ? Peut-il répondre aux besoins d'une population toujours plus nombreuse ? Ne faut-il pas envisager une gestion durable de la ressource afin de satisfaire les besoins de tous et de générer la paix et la liberté pour les peuples de la région ? / The issue about water and territory is the heart of the present problem in this country. How has water shaped the development policies in Israël? How has it become a decisive factor of regional development and peace? As the essential cause of territory and regional development in this country, water will be a determining peace factor in all the area. It seemed to me interesting to analyze this question as it explains the present resources situation, which means a more and more integrated and sustainable management of the Jordan water, with its numerous implications both for Israël and for its neighbors. Moreover, a diachronic analysis of the resource management is liable to relate the israelian territory political development evolution. On this account, the analysis of Beth Shean valley and of the Harod stream, an affluent of Jordan River right bank, gives an example of the territory development evolution and of water control. We should point out the question about the validity of the management of resource in this example and wonder whether it has allowed a harmonious and lasting development of the area. This example was very close to the model of national territory development in Israël and it corresponded fits the aim for the building of a new state and total resource management. What happens to this type of management today? Can it cope with the needs of an ever-growing population? Isn't necessary to envisage a sustainable management of the resources to meet with the needs of all and generate peace and freedom for the people in this area?

Ces dernières années, les villes Cisjordaniennes ont connu un développement urbain très dynamique mais cette urbanisation est aujourd’hui encadrée par des dispositifs législatifs et techniques hérités des périodes successives de colonisation qui ne sont plus adaptés à la ville contemporaine. Ce développement urbain anarchique s’est peu à peu inscrit dans les modes de pensée des acteurs locaux comme une nécessité justifiée par la situation géopolitique et ledéveloppement économique du pays. Le marché du logement s’est accru au point de devenir aujourd’hui une composante essentielle de la transformation des villes cisjordaniennes. Notre travail de recherche de six ans, dont les conclusions sont exposées dans cette thèse, a consisté à décrire puis analyser la réalité de ce marché qui soulève actuellement de nombreuses questions. En effet, le rythme soutenu de la construction de logements a laissé de côté des problématiques que nous avons souhaitées mettre en perspective ici. Ces processus interrogent tout d’abord la réalité et la cohérence de ce marché avec une offre qui doit correspondre à la demande tant sur le plan quantitatif que qualitatif. La situation du logement en Cisjordanie pose aussi la question de la structuration du tissu urbain qui transcende désormais les limites communales, les logiques foncières et les zones à risques. Enfin, se pose la question du cadre de vie pour les populations, le paysage urbain en devenir et la disparition d’une identité jusque là transmise en partie par l’habitat traditionnel. Ce travail de recherche appuyé par des entretiens et par la construction d’un véritable système d’informationsgéographiques a permis de vérifier l’adéquation entre d’un côté, le processus de production du logement et les volontés qui y sont associées, et de l’autre, la réalité du terrain et les enjeux réels du logement palestinien. L’absence de données géographiques et statistiques sur ce territoire nous a poussé à construire un outil complet d’analyse cartographique etdémographique permettant de décrire les phénomènes passés, d’analyser la situation présente et surtout de créer un modèle prospectif pour les horizons 2025 et 2050. A travers, le cas de la ville de Naplouse, il apparaît que les jeux d’acteurs constatés aujourd’hui, ne sont justifiés par aucune cohérence géographique ou démographique. A l’inverse, nous montrons ici que des logiques de marché intéressées sont à l’oeuvre, plaçant devant le fait accompli un cadrelégislatif et technique défaillant. Les conséquences, dès aujourd’hui visibles, constatées sur le terrain et cartographiées ici, interrogent sérieusement le caractère durable des villes cisjordaniennes. Ces résultats mettent en évidence un processus destructeur pour l’ensemble de l’armature urbaine de la Palestine et nécessite une réponse. La situation géopolitique et lagravité des risques identifiés nous poussent à proposer des préconisations pour la mise en place d’une véritable politique locale de l’habitat qui doit conditionner l'émergence d’une maîtrise urbaine. Portés par une gouvernance intercommunale à l’échelle de l’aire urbaine, nous décrivons un outil de planification et de programmation permettant à projet urbain depasser du marché du logement à la construction d’un véritable habitat / These last years, the West Bank cities knew a very dynamic urban development but this urbanization is framed(supervised) by legislative and technical devices(plans) inherited from the successive periods of colonization today which are not any more adapted to the contemporary city. This anarchy urban development joined little by little in the ways of thinking of the actors local as a necessity justified by the geopolitical situation and the economic development of the country. The market of the accommodation(housing) increased in the point of future today an essential component of the transformation(processing) of the West Bank cities. Our research work of six years, the conclusions of which are exposed(explained) in this thesis, consisted in describing then in analyzing the reality of this market which raises at present of numerous questions. Indeed, steady rhythm of the homebuilding left aside problems which we wished to put in perspective here. These processes question first of all the reality and the coherence of this market with an offer which has to correspond to the demand(request) both on the plan quantitative and qualitative. The situation of the accommodation(housing) in the West Bank also asks the question of the structuring of the urban fabric which transcends from now on the municipal limits, the land(basic) logics and the high-risk areas. Finally, asks itself the question of the living environment for the populations, the townscape to become and the disappearance of an identity to there there passed on(transmitted) partially by the traditional housing environment. This research work rested(supported) by conversations(maintenances) and by construction of a real system of geographical information allowed to verify the adequacy enter on one side, the process of production of the accommodation(housing) and the wills which are associated with it, and of the other one, the reality of the ground and the real stakes in the Palestinian accommodation(housing).The absence of geographical and statistical data on this territory urged to us to build a complete tool of cartographic and demographic analysis allowing to describe the past phenomena, to analyze the present situation and especially to create a forward-looking model for horizons 2025 and 2050. Through, the case of the city of Nablus, it seems that actors' games(sets) noticed today, are justified by no geographical or demographic coherence. On the contrary, we show here that interested logics of market are at work, presenting a fait accompli a failing legal and technical framework. The consequences, from today visible, noticed on the ground and mapped here, question seriously the long-lasting(sustainable) character of the West Bank cities. These results(profits) highlight a destructive process for the whole urban armature of Palestine and require an answer. The geopolitical situation and the gravity of the identified risks urge us to propose recommendations for the implementation of a real local politics(policy) of the housing environment which has to condition(package) the emergence of an urban control(master's degree). Carried(Worn) by an intermunicipal governance on the scale of the urban area, we describe a tool of planning and programming allowing urban project to depasser of the market of the accommodation(housing) in the construction of a real housing environment

L'extension de la patrimonialisation à de plus en plus d'objets et d'espaces est un phénomène étudié en sciences sociales depuis les années 1980. Elle n'est cependant abordée que sous le seul angle de la protection et de la reconnaissance « officielle » dont les critères de sélection sont établis par les agents de l'administration de la conservation patrimoniale (ABF, DRAC). L'analyse de la revendication patrimoniale de certaines industries encore en fonction par les élus locaux, les habitants et ses propriétaires invite à interroger la notion de patrimoine. Comment penser ces objets et les processus sociaux et territoriaux qui leur sont associés? Afin d'aborder ce phénomène, la thèse propose la notion de « patrimoine du présent ». Construite en opposition avec le « patrimoine du passé », elle me sert à aborder cette extension patrimoniale, ses fondements et ses limites. La recherche se base sur des enquêtes de terrain menées auprès d'acteurs territoriaux agissant directement ou indirectement sur la patrimonialisation des territoires fluviaux dans les vallées de la Loire et du Rhône. Soixante-neuf entretiens semi-directifs permettent de restituer en partie les imaginaires, les mémoires et les représentations liés à ces espaces. Dans ce cadre, la thèse s'intéresse aux équipements producteurs d'électricité, en particulier aux centrales hydroélectriques, thermiques ou nucléaires encore en fonctionnement et que je considère comme des exemples de « patrimoines du présent » / Heritage's approach is a phenomenon in extension concerning more and more objects and areas, and being studied by social sciences since the 1980s. It is, however, addressed only from the angle of protection and « official » recognition, the criteria of which are determined by agents of the administration of heritage conservation (ABF, DRAC). Claims of local officials, residents and owners regarding heritage's characteristics of some industries still operating, invite me to examine the notion of heritage. How can we conceptualise these objects and social and territorial processes associated with them? In order to discuss this, this dissertation proposes the notion of « heritage of the present ». Constructed in opposition to the « heritage of the past », it helps me to understand the heritage extension, its foundations, and boundaries. The research is based on field surveys conducted with local actors acting directly or indirectly on the heritage river areas in the valleys of the Loire and the Rhone. Sixty-nine semi-structured interviews are used to restore some of the imaginary, memories and representations related to these areas. I choose to focus on power plants, especially hydro, thermal and nuclear power plants still functioning, which objects I consider to be examples of « heritage of the present »