History and geography of ball (public dances) in France ; History and geography of ball (public dances) in France: A process changing according to socio-political structures

Abstract

History and geography of ball in France. A changing process according to those of the socio-political structures From 1880 to 1900, French public authorities have try to strengthen the new republican regime. The reinforcement of local council was one of their means. This brought the country people's adhesion to the new regime. These targets had been mainly pursued by taking the significant spatial and community symbolic which was until then in the Church hands. By instituing the 14th of july (14-juillet) national feast, a republican model of community and communal space sacralisation is established with some specific festive rituals. Among them, the most important is the ball, called the public ball but which I call the republican ball. Socio-spatial imaginary has been durably structured by this model throughout all the XXth century. Today, its fast decline is due to the diffusion of new local spatial practices by the generalisation of urban ways of life. But the model is still influent: it explains why the heritage of some XIXth century political quarrels is still living on; it's also the reason of the recurrent failing of local councils reunification laws. This paper wants to define spatial specificities of these festive ritual symbolics to show their political importance: this study of one and a half century appears to be really rich; we will speak about the following points: - the ball's permanent and important evolution although it's traditional image seems fixed. - although regurlarly renewed, it maintains heritages and the active remembering of old quarrels. - balls are permanently at political stake; that's why local and national politician are forever concerned; they also built a strong legal frame because it always has given them legitimacy, especially during changing times. - althrough each period, it has helped to construct local communities; so, it gives a fine view of different kinds of rural and urban spaces (deep rural, perirural, periurban and central urban) by the mean of mentalities. - when ...