Esprit2013-06-17Abstracts for Esprit 6/2013Jean-Charles Auque
On being a Freemason
Far from scandalistic headlines and media fantasies, this article wishes to show what it means to be a Freemason for those who do not seek, through this affiliation, to further their careers or to weave a network of useful relationships. Is freemasonry a spiritual experience ? Does it reveal a need for rituals and meaningful encounters ? Why do people still engage in it ? An interview with Eduardo Lourenço
European culture through Portuguese eyes
Portugal has long been influenced by French culture, while France did not engage much with Portuguese culture. Today, however, this unbalanced relationship has changed, because of the growing hegemony of Anglo-Saxon culture, of the presence of Portuguese immigrants in France and of the fact both countries are members of the European Union. Eduardo Lourenço looks back on these echoing cultures and on his own work, ranging from Montaigne to Pessoa.Globalization by seaEmmanuel Desclèves
Blue growth : the heart of globalization
Today, 95% of all communications go through maritime networks, and close to 90% of world trade is made by sea. The sea is inherently linked to globalization, and many issues crucial to the future of our economy, our science and our health are at play in the maritime world.Olivier Mongin
The "Just in time" strategy of sea freight. Containers and Harbors
The motto of sea transportation is : just in time (JIT). The container revolution and the emergence of huge harbors have made connexions easier and more deterritorialized. But such a growing fluidity, while it creates new routes and new trading hubs, also severes new infrastructures from the traditions of harbor culture.Antoine Frémont
Le Havre, the Paris-Seine project and global navigation routes
The port of Le Havre is losing ground to competitors like Anvers or Rotterdam ; this is due to economic (other harbors benefit from Germany's dynamism) and geographic factors which cannot be rapidly transformed. However, strategic choices can be made to boost France's integration in global exchanges, by rethinking, for instance, the relationship between the open sea and the hinterland.Entretien avec Jean Viard
Marseilles, the sea and the world
The city of Marseilles often seems different from other French cities, as though its long relationship with the sea and the world set it apart from a mostly "landed" country. How has the city's relationship to the sea evolved over the centuries ? Is there today a new phase in this relationship, a new proximity of Marseilles with the coast and the sea which could, through the development of culture, leisure activities and new technologies, liberate its potential for growth ? Zakya Daoud
Tanger Med. A challenge for the future of the strait of Gibraltar
Tanger Med is a monumental project aimed at concentrating -- along with the port of Algeciras -- the traffic in the Strait of Gibraltar, and its ambition is to match the greatest international ports. However, the building of dams, the proliferation of free economic zones and the displacement of jobs and activities are upending the area. How will this major economic development impact the country's political rigidity ?Alice Béja
Seeing America from the ocean
America's western Frontier is but a version of the first frontier, the Atlantic Ocean crossed by the Pilgrim Fathers in the 17th century. The sea has always played an important role in the construction of the United States' national identity and its founding myths : it embodies conquest (the privateers of the Revolutionary War) and enterprise (the whaling industry), but this national narrative often forgets those who are kept in the hold of the American dream, like the African slaves.The full table of contents of Esprit 5/2013