Mondialisation vs Globalisation : the lessons of Simone Weil

Taking the measure of the current process of destabilization of institutional frameworks on a global scale presupposes a minimum of terminological rigor, which the vague and misleading notion of "globalization" does not allow. The French language, with its distinction between globalization and mondialisation, offers a means of bringing some rigor to this debate. To globalize, in the original sense of the word (where "monde" is opposed to "immonde", just as "cosmos" is opposed to "chaos"), is to make a physical universe humanly liveable: to make our planet a habitable place. In other words, to globalize is to master the various ecological, social and cultural dimensions of the globalization process. In any case, this control requires solidarity mechanisms that link national solidarity with local and international solidarity. While the context in which these questions arise is radically new, they are no different in nature from those raised in previous historical periods. Both near and far, the second industrial revolution saw a combination of technical innovation and political upheaval, forcing us to take a fresh look at the question of justice between people and the means to achieve it. From this precedent we can try to draw not recipes, but at least some lessons. Simone Weil's work can serve as a guide here, both in its exceptional lucidity and in its erring ways. Enlivened by the questions of all times, this dazzling work is also nourished by the working-class, political and trade-union experience of her time. Open to all subject only to the availability of places, the Colloquium organized on June 12 and 13, 2017 at the Collège de France will therefore aim to explore the heuristic virtues of the distinction between globalization and mondialisation, in dialogue with this work.