Inalienable land? Lived experiences of ‘remembrement’ in a 1980s Normandy village

Thesis

This dissertation examines the policy of remembrement rural, a cornerstone of agricultural modernization in post-war France, through a microhistorical study of Geffosses, where the National Monument to the Victims of the Remembrement stands. Between 1945 and 2006, the remembrement radically restructured agricultural landholdings, consolidating fragmented plots to enable mechanized farming, while also instigating profound environmental degradation, including the destruction of 835,000 kilometers of hedgerows. The policy transformed French agriculture, propelling it to global prominence, but it also catalyzed widespread social, cultural, and ecological disruptions. Oral histories reveal that the remembrement was not only a technical reform but also a deeply personal event, often marked by conflict and trauma. Resistance, largely dismissed in national narratives of progress, is central to this study. The experiences of the Geffossais challenge the dominant historiographical narrative of agricultural modernization as a straightforward success, highlighting the complex interplay between state policies, environmental consequences, and the emotional landscapes of rural communities. Through this local lens, the study interrogates broader themes of modernization, ecological reckoning, and the reshaping of rural life in the twentieth century, offering a revisionist perspective on the legacy of the remembrement in both human and environmental terms.

Authors: Georges-Picot, A

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-2zd7y2d1x
• Type of award: MPhil
• Level of award: Masters
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: agriculture; histoire des sensibilités; remembrement; modernisation; oral history; environmental history; subjectivity; modernization; history of emotions; narrative; progress
• Subjects: Emotions in the workplace; Environmental degradation; Bocage normand (France); Agricultural systems; History; Anthropology; Agricultural laborers--History