CEPEL
Presentation
The Joint Research Unit (UMR 5112) has been part of the field of political science since its inception, through its affiliation with Section 40 (Politics – Power – Organization) of the CNRS National Committee. CEPEL is also affiliated with Section 36 (Sociology and Legal Sciences). The sociologists are located in the historic buildings of the Faculty of Medicine. Among the 17 faculty members (7 full professors and 10 associate professors), 12 are affiliated with Section 04 (Political Science) of the CNU, 1 with Section 19 (Sociology, Demography), 1 with Section 20 (Ethnology), 1 to Section 17 (Philosophy), and 2 to Section 56.02 (Epidemiology, Prevention, Health Economics, Forensic Dentistry).
The Public Health sector has gradually expanded, particularly through unsolicited applications from hospital practitioners (1 PH in 2018, 1 MCUPH in 2019) who wish to focus their scientific work on the humanities and social sciences.
CEPEL’s evolution is aligned with the scientific strategies of its sponsoring agencies and, even before receiving I-SITE MUSE (January 1, 2017), coordinated by the University of Montpellier, focused on themes specific to the Montpellier campus (feeding – caring – protecting) while retaining its traditional expertise in the fields of public policy and comparative studies.
History
CEPEL was founded in 1983 (under the initiative and later leadership of Paul Alliès) as the “Center for Comparative Studies of Public Policy and Local Spaces.” Without changing its acronym, under the leadership of Jean-Pierre Gaudin, who succeeded Paul Alliès in 1999, CEPEL became the “Center for Political Studies of Latin Europe” in 2001, broadening its research themes and better reflecting its close ties to the fieldwork and academic networks of Southern European countries. It was subsequently directed successively by Louis Assier-Andrieu (2002–2003), Hubert Peres (2003–2014), William Genieys,recipient of the Award of Excellence in Political Science(2015–2018), and, since August 1, 2018, by Emmanuel Négrier, recipient of the 1999 CNRS Bronze Medal (DR-CNRS). He is leading the unit’s project for the 2021–2025 five-year contract with Geneviève Zoïa (PR-UM) as deputy director. The contributions of sociologists, ethnologists, philosophers, and epidemiologists (including hospital practitioners) symbolize the unit’s multidisciplinary approach. In this context, CEPEL is now the Center for Political and Social Studies: Environment, Health, Territories.
Biographies and initiatives undertaken during leadership roles:
- Paul ALLIES(1983–1999)
- Jean-Pierre Gaudin (1999–2002)
- Louis ASSIER-ANDRIEU(2002–2003)
- Hubert PERES(2003–2015)
- William GENIEYS(2015–2018)
- Emmanuel NEGRIER(2018–present)
The library
The CEPEL-Science Politique library houses a collection of nearly 11,000 books covering the entire field, 36 French and foreign journals (American, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese-language), and more than 500 master’s and doctoral theses. On-site access is available to doctoral students, researchers, and faculty members. The book catalog is available upon request byemailto our communications officer. Users may connect their laptops and also have access to Wi-Fi.
CEPEL publishes the political science journal *Pôle Sud*, founded in 1994, which aims to serve as a tool for organizing and mobilizing the academic community by combining political scientists’ engagement with local communities with the development of a national, international, and interdisciplinary network. This ambitious editorial policy has been crowned by the inclusion of Pôle Sud in the two most prestigious online databases of French-language academic journals, namely Persée and Cairn.
For several years now, CEPEL has benefited from the generosity of distinguished donors who have wished to donate their personal library collections, such as Jean-Louis Missika, Jean-Luc Parodi, Elias Sambar, and others. Any donation of books, regardless of their condition, is welcome. The CEPEL library will therefore ensure the proper care of the books entrusted to it, as well as the preservation of this intellectual heritage.