Cultivating One’s Roots: Genealogical Memory and Feeling of Being a Native

Varia/From Urban to Rural
By Sylvie Sagnes
English

“Coming from somewhere”? Based on a survey carried out in the Minervois area, the answer to this question brings to light the genealogical foundations of the feeling of being a native: the “roots” of an individual only grow well in the place where his own parents have lived, where his family memory is rooted. When brilliantly exploited by elites issued from the Ancien Régime and by those who have a passion for genealogy, the genealogical discourse a priori supports this statement. But genealogy seems to be unable to explain the “rooting” of the middle classes in view of their short “ordinary memories.” How do these various types of “rooting” depend on our representations of the territory?

Keywords

  • autochton
  • rooting
  • genealogy
  • territory
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