A saga: the counter-example of Dune
PHOTO CHIA BELLA JAMES, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Actors Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson in the film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel, Dunedirected by Denis Villeneuve
Over the course of this six-book saga, the desert planet Arrakis will become more habitable thanks to a terraforming project, which consists of developing water and vegetation. “You would think that society can only rejoice, since there will be more water and life will be easier. But what Frank Herbert says is that this is not how it happens,” underlines Corinne Gendron, professor at the School of Management Sciences at UQAM.
The Fremen civilization, which was completely adapted to the aridity of Arrakis, fails to follow this evolution, which leads to the disappearance of its culture.
Herbert shows us that social transformations are always more difficult and slower than biophysical transformations.
Corinne Gendron, professor at the School of Management Sciences at UQAM
A message of great relevance today, when the transformation of our planet gives rise to calls for degrowth and reduction of consumption. “This requires transformations in our lifestyles and, therefore, in our social organization, which are complex and may not arrive in time,” says M.me Gendon. “Frank Herbert gives us this message, but in reverse, for a planet that becomes habitable. There is a beautiful intellectual game there. »
Read the article by René Audet and Corinne Gendron “Ecology in Dune : a science of consequences »
Consult the entry on the Les Libraires website dedicated to Dune by Frank Herbert
Dune
348 pages
A novel: the mirage of technology
PHOTO DAVID BOILY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
In the novel The dawn of timeBarjavel shows that technology is not enough to overcome human nature.
In the science fiction novel The dawn of time, by René Barjavel, a scientific mission in the Arctic discovers a very advanced civilization which uses infinite energy, called universal. Its inhabitants thus manage to meet their needs and desires by working very little.
The reader ends up discovering, however, that even in this seemingly egalitarian society of abundance, outcasts no longer have access to resources, even though they are infinite.
“We have always been told that if we have the right technology and abundant energy, there will be no more conflicts. Humanity will be super happy and everyone will be able to develop,” recalls Mme Gendron.
Barjavel instead shows that technology is not enough to overcome human nature.
Even with infinite resources, humanity remains in a logic of conflict and, above all, of social hierarchy.
Corinne Gendron, professor at the School of Management Sciences at UQAM
And the abundance imagined in this novel comes at a price: a surveillance that virtually eliminates all individual freedom, except that of consuming. “There is no political freedom. Even personal freedom is extremely reduced since it is a computer that makes you meet a so-called soul mate,” explains Mme Gendron.
“So the individual is dispossessed of his freedom by a society which claims to function well thanks to technology. »
Consult the entry on the Les Libraires website dedicated to The dawn of time by René Barjavel
The Night of Times
381 pages
An article: the other decline
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
By 2050, the majority of countries will have to deal with a decline in their population, underline the authors, citing a study from the University of Washington.
The article “The New Population Bomb” deals with a little-talked about decline, that of demographics. By 2050, the majority of countries will have to deal with a decline in their population, underline the authors, citing a study from the University of Washington.
This is not a bad thing since at the turn of the 2000s, we feared a demographic explosion, explains M.me Gendron. However, this demographic transition presents great challenges.
We will have to think about the economic system so that it does not break down everywhere. However, at the moment, we do not know how to do it. We are still experiencing intergenerational transfers where the very young active population must support an ever-increasing weight of the inactive and older population.
Corinne Gendron, professor at the School of Management Sciences at UQAM
As the current economic system is based on growth in consumption, production and the value of investments, how will a declining population be able, for example, to finance social transfers and pensions?
“These are relevant questions which the current of degrowth has not seized. »
Reducing consumption is necessary for the environment. “But we cannot say “consume less and produce less” without attacking the social system, which is based on consuming more and producing more. »
Read the article from Nikkei Asia “The New Population Bomb” (in English)
A classic: from conflict to compromise
PHOTO GALINA PESHKOVA, GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO
The compromise made at the turn of the 2000s, which was called sustainable development, or green economy, has “significantly reduced the ecological impact of economic activities per unit”, but not enough to reduce the pressure on ecosystems.
According to the French sociologist Alain Touraine, who died last June at the age of 97, social conflicts lead to compromises, which will however end up becoming sources of conflicts, and will require new compromises.
The conflict is still there, but not about the same thing. From conflict to conflict, society is built on new foundations.
Corinne Gendron, professor at the School of Management Sciences at UQAM
This is what we are currently seeing in the economic sphere, with new regulatory frameworks integrating environmental parameters, such as greenhouse gas emissions and discharges. “Obviously, if you ask a company that didn’t need to take into account this environmental cost, it’s not interesting from their point of view…”
The compromise made at the turn of the 2000s, which was called sustainable development, or green economy, has “significantly reduced the ecological impact of economic activities per unit”, but not enough to reduce the pressure on ecosystems.
“So the conflict resurfaces, which is why we are talking more clearly today about degrowth. » We still need to find a workable compromise. “I don’t want to throw stones at people who are in decline, I’m just saying that economists will have to get started. You’ll have to think about it! »
Consult the entry on the Les Libraires website dedicated to The voice and the look by Alain Touraine
Consult the electronic version of the book on the UQAC website
The voice and the gaze: sociology of social movements
Threshold
320 pages
Who is Corinne Gendron?
Professor at the UQAM School of Management Sciences, Corinne Gendron heads the group of Researchers in Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development (formerly Chair of Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development).
She holds a PhD in sociology and an MBA, and is a lawyer.
His research focuses on the social representations of the economic and political elite, on the evolution of the company as a social institution, and on the dynamics of social acceptability of major projects and new technologies.
Corinne Gendron is an additional member of the Office of Public Hearings on the Environment (BAPE), and sits on the ministerial advisory committee on environmental transition (federal).