The purpose of this paper is to study the notion of proximity from a communicative perspective. It asks two questions : how best to define proximity in a trade and media context and which model offers communication sciences the best way to study it and seize the representations and understand the organization. This semiotic analysis of France 3's latest advertising campaign illustrates, and sheds lights on the notion of proximity and so attempts to define it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
The Primequal research program, aimed at studying air quality at the local scale, was initiated in 1995 by the Ministry in charge of the Environment and by ADEME (French Environment and Energy Management Agency). Designed as a multidisciplinary program, it centered chiefly on the physico-chemical and sanitary aspects of air pollution. Human and social sciences, though regularly invited to participate in the program, have remained little involved. To overcome this problem, a special call for research wholly dedicated to the field was set up in 2004. Eight projects, whose results are briefly summarized and discussed in this paper, were funded. For the authors, one of the main findings of this research is the remaining gap, due to poor governance, between the institutional approach to air quality based on monitoring and administrative overseeing and the population's lack of grasp and involvement regarding an issue to which they are, however, highly sensitive and whose sanitary implications they are strongly aware of. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Using professional knowledge in building scientific knowledge; a comparative analysis of several case studies. This paper results from cross-disciplinary reflection by social and biotechnical researchers engaged in surveys with experts from the agriculture and nature spheres: farmers: technical advisors, managers of nature conservation programmes and biologists. The purpose was to analyse the way professional knowledge is used by researchers to enrich their body of scientific knowledge. How professional knowledge is used depends in part on each scientific discipline, but far more on the final research aims. We first identified three ideotypes based on whether professional knowledge is used (1) in a comprehensive way to understand its origins, (2) to build new biological knowledge complementary to the one produced on an experimental basis, or (3) to build operational knowledge to help professionals manage their problems. A cross-analysis of the survey methods used then led to discussing the nature of the scientific knowledge developed from professional knowledge and the innovative potential of such surveys. Finally the heuristic potential of surveys is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]