Following a recently proposed law by a group of French senators that
will aim to dissolve all sections de commune in France, this report,
based on a 2019 Masters dissertation, outlines the contemporary role of
a section de commune located in the village of Mourex, France.
Drawing on the notion of the commons and “dwelling”, this report
demonstrates that the sec􀆟on de commune there is anything but a relic
of the past; it provides important avenues for people to reconnect with
their environment, symbolising the profound ways in which a community
and their surrounding environment can be bound together in relations
of mutual inter-dependence. In this regard, sections de commune
represent important means through which to preserve France’s
agricultural landscapes. The proposal of a law to dissolve France’s
sections de communes is therefore a threat to these landscapes as
well as a demonstrable example of “land-grabbing” on a massive scale
by the French state – a process of large-scale acquisition of agricultural
land without consulting the local population beforehand or obtaining its
consent. By underlining the ongoing importance of the section de
commune in Mourex, this report hopes to contribute towards a larger
effort to prevent the French state from dismantling this ancient system
of communal land rights, and an important part of France’s cultural
heritage.