Des fromages en friches. Le difficile renouveau de la production fromagère dans une vallée post-industrielle ariégeoise

Throughout the 20th century, the development of the Vicdessos valley (department of Ariège, French Pyrenees) was oriented almost exclusively towards the aluminum industry, leading to the decline and then total disappearance of local cheese production. Once renowned, Auzat cheese, made from sheep and...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Tristan Fournier, Olivier Lepiller, Guillaume Simonet
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Institut de Géographie Alpine 2022-12-01
Series:Revue de Géographie Alpine
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/rga/10664
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1841546819359735808
author Tristan Fournier
Olivier Lepiller
Guillaume Simonet
author_facet Tristan Fournier
Olivier Lepiller
Guillaume Simonet
author_sort Tristan Fournier
collection DOAJ
description Throughout the 20th century, the development of the Vicdessos valley (department of Ariège, French Pyrenees) was oriented almost exclusively towards the aluminum industry, leading to the decline and then total disappearance of local cheese production. Once renowned, Auzat cheese, made from sheep and then cow's milk, was an important resource in the local economy until the middle of the 20th century. Based on documentary research, interviews and ethnographic observations, this article traces the social biography of this cheese since the middle of the 19th century. It analyzes the conditions of the decline of its production and the blurring of its memory. While, for the last twenty years, this post-industrial valley has turned towards the development of tourism, the article provides an understanding of the constraints that have prevented any renewal of cheese production until recently. Indeed, since the end of the 2010s, several initiatives have emerged, without the link with the valley's cheese-making past being cultivated for the moment. These initiatives show the new favorable conditions, but also the persistent obstacles, to the relocation of food circuits in this post-industrial rural territory.
format Article
id doaj-art-8f23bcb9eb9545709a567bbb08a230a3
institution Kabale University
issn 0035-1121
1760-7426
language English
publishDate 2022-12-01
publisher Institut de Géographie Alpine
record_format Article
series Revue de Géographie Alpine
spelling doaj-art-8f23bcb9eb9545709a567bbb08a230a32025-01-10T15:53:56ZengInstitut de Géographie AlpineRevue de Géographie Alpine0035-11211760-74262022-12-01110210.4000/rga.10664Des fromages en friches. Le difficile renouveau de la production fromagère dans une vallée post-industrielle ariégeoiseTristan FournierOlivier LepillerGuillaume SimonetThroughout the 20th century, the development of the Vicdessos valley (department of Ariège, French Pyrenees) was oriented almost exclusively towards the aluminum industry, leading to the decline and then total disappearance of local cheese production. Once renowned, Auzat cheese, made from sheep and then cow's milk, was an important resource in the local economy until the middle of the 20th century. Based on documentary research, interviews and ethnographic observations, this article traces the social biography of this cheese since the middle of the 19th century. It analyzes the conditions of the decline of its production and the blurring of its memory. While, for the last twenty years, this post-industrial valley has turned towards the development of tourism, the article provides an understanding of the constraints that have prevented any renewal of cheese production until recently. Indeed, since the end of the 2010s, several initiatives have emerged, without the link with the valley's cheese-making past being cultivated for the moment. These initiatives show the new favorable conditions, but also the persistent obstacles, to the relocation of food circuits in this post-industrial rural territory.https://journals.openedition.org/rga/10664Pyreneescheesefoodrelocationrural territory
spellingShingle Tristan Fournier
Olivier Lepiller
Guillaume Simonet
Des fromages en friches. Le difficile renouveau de la production fromagère dans une vallée post-industrielle ariégeoise
Revue de Géographie Alpine
Pyrenees
cheese
food
relocation
rural territory
title Des fromages en friches. Le difficile renouveau de la production fromagère dans une vallée post-industrielle ariégeoise
title_full Des fromages en friches. Le difficile renouveau de la production fromagère dans une vallée post-industrielle ariégeoise
title_fullStr Des fromages en friches. Le difficile renouveau de la production fromagère dans une vallée post-industrielle ariégeoise
title_full_unstemmed Des fromages en friches. Le difficile renouveau de la production fromagère dans une vallée post-industrielle ariégeoise
title_short Des fromages en friches. Le difficile renouveau de la production fromagère dans une vallée post-industrielle ariégeoise
title_sort des fromages en friches le difficile renouveau de la production fromagere dans une vallee post industrielle ariegeoise
topic Pyrenees
cheese
food
relocation
rural territory
url https://journals.openedition.org/rga/10664
work_keys_str_mv AT tristanfournier desfromagesenfrichesledifficilerenouveaudelaproductionfromageredansunevalleepostindustrielleariegeoise
AT olivierlepiller desfromagesenfrichesledifficilerenouveaudelaproductionfromageredansunevalleepostindustrielleariegeoise
AT guillaumesimonet desfromagesenfrichesledifficilerenouveaudelaproductionfromageredansunevalleepostindustrielleariegeoise