Seminar "Functional Approaches: opportunities, hesitations"

In the nineteenth century, biologists (such as Cuvier, Darwin) proposed a classification of species based to a greater extent on organs and the vital functions. This functionalism inspired, at that time and later, many researchers from a wide range of disciplines (Ricardo in economics in the early nineteenth century, Durkheim in sociology in the late nineteenth century, Grime in ecology in the 1980s, etc). However, this type of functional approach is still being discussed. As the type of controversies about the benefits and limitations of such an approach depends on each discipline, it is therefore interesting to pool these interrogations.

For example we might question the use of the word function (functional ecology, functionalist approach in humanities and social sciences, production or utility function in economics...). The purpose of these communications is to illustrate each participant's position in the debates using specific studies from his or her own research. This seminar is designed to spell out the different meanings of the same terms used in the various disciplines, and to transfer the related issues that have been raised to other disciplines.

Program of activities:

• 1.45pm Arrival of participants
• 2pm Introduction to the topic by the scientific management team
• 2.15pm "Functionalist approaches to sociology: contributions and limitations to the study of societal-environment relationships" by Vincent Marquet and Nicolas Rocle (IRSTEA)
• 2.45pm "Functional genomics and ecology" by Annabel Porté (BIOGECO)
• 3.15pm Break
• 3.30pm "Services: a multidisciplinary approach? An economist's view" by Jeoffrey Dehez (IRSTEA)
• 4.15pm  "Functional diversity and the functioning of ecosystems" by Bastien Castagneyrol (Biogeco)
• 4.45pm Discussions

Lecture hall of the ISM, University of Bordeaux 1, build. A12, 3rd floor, east wing.

Please confirm your intention to attend to Claire Gouny:  transfertvalo-labexcote@univ-bordeaux.fr. Click on "Read more" to check the program.