Paris and the Seine: An Anthropological Approach

Abstract

Based on urban and political anthropology research centered on Paris, I have developed an approach focusing on the dynamics of “heritagization,” that is, the use of spaces, metropolitan transformations and their relationship with globalization, particularly as seen through the lens of tourism. The Seine, considered as a public space, constitutes a privileged entry point for thinking about the systems that reorganize the relationship between city dwellers and the city. The relationship between Parisians and the river is shaped by historical representations, everyday use and planning policies, which continuously reconfigure this urban space. My analysis focuses on three emblematic projects that reconfigure the relationship between Paris and the Seine in different ways: Paris Plage, Voies sur Berge and the redevelopment of the area around Notre-Dame. These cases reveal the political logics underlying the production of public space, balancing event-based gestures with lasting transformations, “heritagization” with accessibility and urban memory with future experimentation. The analysis highlights the tension between urban planning, political representations of the river and social practices in a city where public space is a stage, a resource and a symbol.