Berkeley, december 2010. Browse narrow paths on campus and see some traces of the sixties social movements: Ronald Reagan, then Governor of California, sent the National Guard against pacifist students dreaming of another world. Realize that this balance of power […]
Pondichéry, february 2008. Near a maternity service, two large posters are permanently placed. The first is subtitled in capital letters « Girl Child Is Precious » and the Anglophone reader concludes that it aims to fight against infanticide and abandonment […]
Lisbonne, june 2009. At the foot of the monument, flowers, a wreath and especially hundreds of plates are placed in some disorder, marble slabs engraved with golden letters, photos clamped. For an ordinary traveler like me, that’s for sure: it […]
Paris, june 2011. As Scriptopolis goes on vacation, let’s look at some prototype objects of summer: bathing suits, straw hats or, in this picture, umbrellas. Even when produced by prestigious brands, they are rarely provided with inscriptions unless when used […]
Paris, may 2010. Michèle Grosjean, who left us last saturday, was a very special colleague for a lot of people, especially in the field of French workplace studies. A key member of the ‘Langage et Travail’ network, she was not […]
Boston, may 2011. Nowdays, the @ symbol is taken for granted. Most people with an internet connection use this button on the keyboard without thinking of it. And without knowing its improbable historical trajectory. Despite its controversial origin, it seems […]
Boston, may 2011. Because they sort out entities, signposts are both a matter of discipline and of justice. From this standpoint, the history of traffic lights and their invention is fascinating. At first, these lights were meant to replace policemen […]
Lancaster, december 2010. “Every year is getting shorter never seem to find the time. Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines”. As these lyrics point it out, time is the key issue of most […]
Entering this elevator, you’ll find a poster that refers to a register you have to fill and sign if you happen to work in this academic building on a sunday. All the refering dance is a classical one. So is […]
Issy-les-Moulineaux, april 2011. Everybody wants to know the truth. Who is lying ? The unsuspected politician or the unknown housemaid? The international star or the so-called non-person? Lawyers and police departments are directly involved in the making of this kind […]