The aim of this thesis is to investigate the reasons for the growth of large scale labour migration from Ratnagiri district during the nineteenth century. It is argued firstly that for an understanding of the origins of migration from Ratnagiri it is necessary to investigate the socio-economic structure of the district, since exogenous demand for labour cannot explain many aspects of the pattern of migration from Ratnagiri, nor can it explain the high rate of migration compared to other areas with similar access to labour markets. It is argued that regional and gender patterns of migration from Ratnagiri can be partly explained by the structure of demand for labour within the district; but that the scale of migration can most convincingly be explained in terms of the acute poverty of sections of the rural population. It is argued that this poverty cannot be ascribed to demographic pressure in the early nineteenth century, since population in the district did not rise rapidly until migration was already underway. It is instead suggested that the poverty of many cultivators in the earlier nineteenth century was an outcome of the spread of a village zamindari system in Ratnagiri during the late eighteenth century, the impact of which was intensified by legal changes introduced under British rule; the consequent concentration of landholding in the hands of the village zamindars led to higher exactions on the lower caste cultivators, which stimulated emigration in the mid nineteenth century. Furthermore, it is suggested that the land tenure system was at the root of the problems of agricultural development which the district faced later in the nineteenth century. When population rose In the mid nineteenth century, the extension of cultivation put pressure on the fragile ecology of the district, which led to rapid deforestation and falling yields per acre. it is argued that though cultivation intensified In Ratnagiri during the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the output per head nonetheless probably fell, and the system of land tenure discouraged the adoption of many strategies which might have raised output per head, thus perpetuating the poverty which, it is argued, lay at the root of out-migration from Ratnagiri.

Cette recherche, fondée sur une enquête de terrain et l’analyse d’archives, vise à comprendre l’histoire et la mise en tourisme des complexes industriels dédiés au sucre ainsi que leur intégration au patrimoine culturel taiwanais. Après une présentation des origines du sucre et de son implantation, nous traiterons de l’histoire économique de l’île de façon chronologique, afin de mieux cerner le contexte de création puis de fermeture des complexes industriels. Puis, en retraçant l’histoire de l’architecture moderne et de l’urbanisme au Japon et dans ses colonies, nous expliquerons quelle a été l’organisation spatiale et l’architecture des sites, conçus comme des modèles avancés de communautés industrielles modernes. Un tour d’horizon des vestiges présents et des éléments disparus permettra de faire un état des lieux du niveau de préservation du patrimoine industriel taiwanais et de découvrir que si certains édifices sont encore en parfait état, d’autres ont parfois subi des destructions ou de lourdes modifications architecturales après 1945. Enfin, le détail de la mise en tourisme des sites à l’heure actuelle nous renseignera d’une part sur les projets de réutilisation décidés pour faire vivre les anciens complexes industriels maintenant transformés en « parcs culturels » et la façon dont les Taiwanais souhaitent mettre en valeur ce patrimoine redécouvert progressivement à partir des années 1990. D’autre part, nous découvrirons quels discours ont été choisi (et par qui) lors de la présentation de l’histoire des sites et de la mémoire ouvrière, dans le contexte sous-jacent de conflits interethniques et politiques intenses que connaît Taiwan depuis plusieurs décennies. / This research, based on a field study and on archives analysis, aims to understand the history and the transition into touristic spots of industrial complexes dedicated to sugar as well as their integration into the Taiwanese cultural heritage. After presenting the origins of sugar and it’s implantation in Taiwan, we will address the island’s economical history in a chronological manner in order to better understand the context in which these industrial complexes were created and later closed. Then, by recounting the history of modern architecture and urbanism in Japan and Japanese colonies, we will explain the spatial and architectural organization of these sites, built as advanced models of modern industrial communities. An overview of the present remains and of the elements that are now gone will enable us to highlight the Taiwanese heritage’s current state of preservation. Furthermore, to point out that even though some buildings are still in perfect condition, others have undergone destruction or heavy architectural modifications after 1945. Finally, detailing of the current transition into touristic venues of these sites will inform us, on one hand, on the projects dedicated to bringing back to life old industrial complexes by transforming them into « cultural parks » and, on the other hand, on the way the Taiwanese want to showcase a heritage they have rediscovered starting in the early nineties. Furthermore, we will bring to light what kind of discourses have been chosen (and by whom), when the history of these sites and their working class memory are presented, in Taiwan’s underlying context of intense inter-ethnic and political conflicts of the past few decades.