Intégration/ségrégation : une clé de lecture des recompositions des modèles de développement ? Le cas de la Nouvelle-Calédonie

Abstract

This paper proposes an original theoretical framework in order to deepen the debate about development models, especially in rural areas. Dichotomous views dominate the debate: a specialized and productivist agricultural model linked to globalized markets vs a local development model associated with local supply chains or quality niches and to types of agricultural production conducive to ecological intensification and social cohesion. This paper identifies how concepts of integration and segregation provide original theoretical tools in order to analyze these debates in depth. The theoretical framework is tested in the case of New Caledonia, through the analysis of rural development policies. This emblematic example of a colonial settlement is interesting. It offers public policies based on segregated models of development, but which simultaneously pursue a global objective to overcome the historical segregation between communities, land-use, etc. The field study allows the authors to highlight the strategic dimension of the segmentation of policies and of the targeted territories. At the local scale, the study of Kanak development strategies shows that the boundaries between these different kinds of development territories are places where new development models and innovations can arise. Despite some limitations, the theoretical framework is particularly suited to understanding the historical and current transformations of the archipelago and offers original prospects for generalization. Mainly, the heuristic strength of the framework is not based on the opposition, but on the identification of connections between integration and segregation.