Kulturlandschaftswandel und gesellschaftlicher Umbruch in der südfranzösischen Peripherie: Drei Fallstudien aus der Hochprovence

Abstract

The paper deals with processes of profound structural change in rural areas of Southern France. It focusses on the peripheral mountain tracts of the Department of Var which, contrary to the booming coastal strip, may be classified as depressed areas. Demographically, these regions are characterized by massive outmigration of the local rural population, on the one hand, and heavy in migration of urban-based outsiders, on the other. These countercurrent movements, which are accompanied by rapidly increasing numbers of secondary residences, are bound to have far-reaching economic, social, and spatial implications. It is the objective of the paper to analyse the internal effects of such processes by means of three village studies. The samples have been selected to represent a wide spectrum of local-level reactions to external influence, and that in the fields of agricultural change, settlement dynamics, and social transformation. The paper also tries to assess the future trends of these processes, especially in the light of changing communal politics, newly evolving concepts of local-level planning, and increasing land speculation. The paper concludes that there is much indication that the existing disparities on all spatial levels and in all relevant spheres of life will be further accentuated, and that to the long-term detriment of the local communities.