We know that individuals are in interaction with their environment all the time (Moser, 2003). This interactions have been investigated many time to understand individuals behaviors. These last years, many studies have been interested at environmental risk. Indeed, climatic change has a crucial impact on these risks (e.g. increases in stroms, flooding etc). Moreover, those have a significant impact on population : humans loss, climates refugees, economic costs for stricken population …However, in spite of these dramatical consequences, lot of individuals want to live in risky areas.
In order to understand these behaviors, this work will alow to examine social thinking about natural risks.
Namely, this thesis aimed to look at the incidence between the social representation, the practices linked at erosion and the place attachment’s subjects. For a best comprehension, we will define, in a first part, the main key words of this study and hypotheses tested. A second will allow to present the method used to test hypotheses. The various resultats will be explained and discussed in a third and last part.
Social representation is a kind of knowledge oppose at expert thinking. It can be describe as a knowledge socially constructed and getting a practical fonction. Social representation influence individual’s practices toward the object of representation (Abric, 1994). Therefore social representation of erosion coastal risk was investigated in relation with practices. Those refers to protections behaviors against coastal erosion. The last factor take into account was place attachment that we can define like an emotional relation between environment and individuals. After an analysing of the literature three hypotheses have been formulated.
First hypothesis refers to an influence of social representation influence on individual’s practices. Second hypothesis suggests that development of practices rely on place attachment. Finally, the last hypothesis concern modification of social representation content by place attachment degree.
Since very few studies were been conducted about social representation of erosion coastal risk we can decide to use a qualitative method of investigation. Thus twelve semi-structured interviews were achieved at Saint-Hilaire de Riez (85). This municipality has been choice for two reasons. Firstly, she is exposed at coastal erosion because of large seafront. Secondly, she has two types of littoral. One is mainly composed of rocks while the other is more a sandy soil.
All results were analysed in two time. First of all, we did an manual thematic analysis of the content. This analysis method has provided several sub-themes within three majors thematics which has defined preliminaraly.
Thus, inside first thematic (i. e. representation of coastal erosion) we found three sub-themes refering to informations about coastal erosion, beliefs about coastal erosion risk and the explanations relating to this risk. In regard to the second thematic (i.e. practices toward erosion risk) we have identified two sub-themes which are collectives practices (e.g. riprap) and individuals practices (e.g. information search). The last thematic was separated in two sub thematics (benefit and disadvantage) which has allowed to evaluate individuals’s place attachment.
The continuation of analysis aimed to cross findings in order to test hypotheses. It has been possible to examine practices orientation by social representation. Indeed, individuals getting more functional elements within their representation were those developing the most of individual practices. It was also demonstrated an influence of place attachment on development of practices. In link with the last constatation, we found more of individual practices in the speech of attached people than in speech of no attached people. This allowed to confirm the second hypothesis. However outcomes could not to show a link between place attachment and social representation of erosion coastal risk. In fact, the difference of nature (i.e. normative or functional) of elements inside social representation wasn’t enough important to conclude an incidence of place attachment.
One the whole, results bring to light on place attachment impact in research of information and so, practices development by these individuals. Accordingly with these results, it is important to increase individuals’ knowledge to favorise protection behavior of population face to natural risk.
Vocabulary :
- On the whole = dans l’ensemble
- sandy soil = terrain sableux
- stricken population = population touchée (par un dommage)
- Riprap = enrochement
- First of all : tout d’abord
- Bring to light : mettre en évidence