Artisanal Food and Retail Trade in the Czech Republic: Reinventing “Tradition” and Territorial Development

Research Area 1 : Displacements, « Dépaysements » and Discrepancies

Aurore Navarro studies rural geography. In her PhD, which she defended in November 2015, she focused on the role played by open-air food markets in the making of public spaces. Despite many factors in the 1980s signaling the quick vanishing of such markets, this form of trade has survived and even knows a revival. In spite of their temporary and itinerant character, open-air food markets play an important part in the narrative of spaces. Using data from qualitative studies conducted in France and Italy with food producers (farmers, crafstmen) and traders, the thesis is a socio-geographical study of the participants in and inner working of these markets.

The post-doctoral project aims to understand the resurgence of food interest and the notion of food “tradition” in the Czech Republic. In the last decade, we can observe the multiplication of small specialized shops and farmer markets, as it happened in the US and Western Europe a few years before. New farmers, food crafstmen and tradesmen offer an alternative to the Great Organized Distribution, because most of them propose goods offer based on “quality”, “local” or “typical” products. By closely studying the discourse, practices, and representations, this research tries to underline how they contribute to the definition and/or to the reinvention not only of food culture but also of sociocultural and spaces dynamics. It will review and analyze the specific role of this new food independent trade in territorial development.

CV

Current situation

Associated to Laboratoire d’études rurales –Lyon 2 University, EA 3728.

Education

2015: Ph.D, Geography, University of Lyon 2, under the supervision of Claire Delfosse. Dissertation title: “The open-air food market and the making of places. A multi-functional local business at the heart of reshaping communities”.

2010-2011: MA in Geography, University of Lyon 2.

2009-2010: BA in History of Art, University of Paris IV-La Sorbonne.

2007-2008: MA in History (medieval), University of Rennes II – Università degli studi di Siena.

2006-2007: BA in History, University of Rennes II.

Professional experiences

September 2016 – January 2017: Post-doctoral researcher, Laboratoire d’études rurales, Lyon 2 University.

March 2016 – May 2016: Research engineer – Associazione As.Ca.MM.

2014-2015: Research engineer – Musée du Revermont /Divagri/ Laboratoire d’études rurales.

2012-2013: Teaching Assistant, Lyon 2 University.

September 2013 – February 2014: Invited Researcher, CNR-CERIS, Torino.

Selected Publications

Book

• I castagneti della Montagnola senese e della Val di Merse. Sunto storico dal Medioevo ai nostri giorni, 2016, Tipografia senese, Siena.

Chapter in book

• Claire Delfosse, Aurore Navarro, « Une nouvelle gouvernance pour les marchés de détail ? », in Au plus près de l’assiette…Développer, structurer et pérenniser les circuits courts alimentaires, Anne-Hélène Prigent-Simonin, Hérault-Fournier Catherine (eds.), 2012.

Articles

• « Les marchés de plein vent. Le cas des commerces de l’alimentations », Ethnologie française, XLVII, no. 1/2017, p. 111-120.
• « Actualité des marchés de plein vent », Pour, no. 2015-216, November 2012.
• Lucile Garçon, Aurore Navarro, « La société des territorialistes italienne », Tracés. Revue des sciences humaines, no. 22, 2012.
• Claire Delfosse, Aurore Navarro, « Spécificité et renouveau des marchés dans le cadre des circuits courts », Les Carnets Pro de Liproco, no. 9, 2011.