NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
L'Idéologie politique des empereurs flaviens (69-96) à travers les sources épigraphiques et numismatiques

The Flavian dynasty is not the most famous of the imperial families who ruled the Roman Empire, especially because it seems to be badly located between two more prestigious dynasties: the descendants of Julius Caesar and Augustus, and those, to Marcus Aurelius, of Trajan. Moreover, the Flavian are sometimes considered only as insignificant because of the shortness of the time they stayed at power. However, for a little more than a quarter century (69-96), Vespasian, Titus and Domitian worked a lot, and more than some of their predecessors or successors, to ensure the stability of Rome and of the entire Empire.      Winner of the Year of Four Emperors (68-69), Vespasian brought back peace in the East and in Italy, and intended to stabilize the institutions and restore the finances of the State, partly ruined by the last years of Nero’s reign and the civil war. More than peace and stability, inside the Empire and on the borders, he ruled to rebuild the institutional basis of the Principate by assuming its transformation into a monarchic and hereditary regime. This idea was wholly admitted because his two adult sons, Titus and Domitian, succeeded him with no difficulty.      Perhaps more than the account of the ancient literary sources, Italian and Roman inscriptions and coins from the mint of Rome are the best testimony allowing us to catch, accurately and deeply, how the Flavian were considering themselves and the power they had. The content of their official titulature alongside with the iconography of their coins are helpful to determine the themes of their propaganda from which appears a real continuity in their ideology and their way of ruling power.      Vespasian laid ideological and political foundations that his two sons globally respected and pursued, reinforcing the idea that the Flavians had their own « political program » which distinguished them from the predecessors and successors. Despite some differences in their practices, sometimes big, the inscriptions and monetary iconography of Titus and Domitian were finally less original than an attempt to pursue their father’s work in order to guarantee the peacekeeping, and with it, the stability and the prosperity of the State, and beyond, the satisfaction and calmness of the whole society.

Keyphrases: Inscriptions, Roman Empire, Flavian dynasty, Ideology, Power, Propaganda, Inscriptions, Coins
Ernest Mercier, le pétrole et la France

Ernest Mercier is one of the most influential business managers in interwar France. His different industrial activities led him to oversee large areas of the French economy, notably in the energy sector. This thesis examines the career in oil of the man who played a central role in the development of an industry that became strategic but was still nascent when he joined this sector after First World War. Mercier assisted and oversaw the creation of a national oil industry. The obstacles in the path of France's oil ambitions were legion. The country was a latecomer on a market that was largely controlled by powerful foreign trusts. The search for oil and its exploitation require important resources which no single French company possessed on its own. Certain banks thus decided to approach oil business by allying themselves with the different international trusts. This was the case for the French bank Paribas, whose Romanian holdings Mercier managed. In this context, state intervention became necessary, although the government did not have the means to achieve the full scope of its ambitions in the oil sector. The national oil policy formulated during the interwar period had to involve French private interests. The creation of a national oil company, the Compagnie française des pétroles, involved several banks and industrial companies interested in oil. Mercier was personally chosen by French president Raymond Poincaré to take up this task. His career revolved around a fragile equilibrium between private interests and state intervention. Mercier rapidly became the intermediary that managed these relations. The thesis makes use of banking and industrial archives but also of government records. This analysis of Ernest Mercier's career enables us to review the origins of the French oil sector and the determining role of one man. It exposes the influence mechanism of a powerful French business bank and the conflicts of interest that oil exploitation engenders.

Keyphrases: Ernest Mercier, pétrole, France, relations internationales, oil, interwar, international relations
Le pilocentrisme de la France d’Ancien Régime : évolution des représentations de la pilosité de François 1er à Louis XVI

Both a natural and cultural phenomenon, human hair condenses a wide array of symbolic issues relating to notions of identity, religion, science, etc. The analysis of discourses and practices concerning hair affords the historian a window on the evolution of a given society’s attitudes towards the self and others. Following the historiographical current of the history of the body, this thesis examines the “trichological systems” of modern France (16th to 18th centuries). It is based on a wide variety of sources, allowing the comparison of different types of hair-related discourses: the scientific point of view of physicians, physiognomonists and historians; the prescriptive point of view of education and civility treatises; the exotic counterpoint of travel narratives and other writings on “curiosities”, as well as a review of the etymological evolution of relevant words in dictionaries and encyclopedias. The central question in this dissertation concerns the role of hair in the construction of representations used in identifying, distinguishing and ranking social groups; and how these representations evolve along with other historical transformations.  The first chapter highlights hair’s role as marker of individual differences. A “language of hair” is exposed, inventorying meanings and connotations attached to the various factors of hairy manifestations: color, length, affluence, shape. The importance of hair in the staging of the self and the reading of others is highlighted. The second chapter explores the contribution of hair to the construction of gendered identities. Hair is interpreted as an outward sign of the sexes’ different natures and the confirmation of their respective social roles. As such, it is a tool in the negotiation of power between and within genders. The third chapter examines hair as it is used in the demarcation of social classes. It is seen as participating in the process of body discipline of the French elite. The use of wigs alongside refined hair care emphasized their distinction from lower classes beyond the traditional means of clothing. Direct state regulations on the hair of its subjects also show that trichological politics did not limit themselves to the gaze. The finale chapter highlights the instrumentalization of hair in the construction of faraway and abnormal “others”: the overseas savage, the wolf child, the natural aberration. By characterizing the hair of beings at the frontier of humanity, Ancien Régime French exposed their own presuppositions on normality and civilization. This dissertation develops the notion of “pilocentrism”, uniting and organizing the various modes of interpretation of hairs on the basis of the constructed and normed perception of one’s own. Shedding a new light on the role of hair representation systems on models of identification and hierarchisation, the notion of pilocentrism can serve as a new analytical category to study historical power dynamics.

Keyphrases: France, hair, hairs, beard, gender, norms
Réception de l’Histoire des colonies grecques dans la littérature coloniale des XVIIe-XVIIIe siècles

The purpose of this thesis was to bring a new point of view on the influences of European colonisalism during the XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries. Since my work on the colonies of the Greek city of Corinth during the archaic period, my objective was to go more thoroughly on the perception of colonies, through time and space. Many historians wrote on ancient influences at specific periods (Chantal Grell and the vision of Alexander the Great during the reign of Louis the XIVth, Carl Richard on the American perception of the Classics during the Revolution,…). Nevertheless, no long-term reflection was ever made about the role of ancient history and the vision of colonialism during modern area. Beside, regarding the rarity of the sources, I had to broaden the scope of my researches and included authors who used the Greek sources as an illustration of contemporary problems. During this period influenced by the apogee and the fall of the first European empires in North America, the ancient history and the history of colonizations got better known thanks to the works of a few historiogriaphs. If comparisons to ancient history were mainly propaganda or simple topos (as were the comparisons of Louis the XIVth to Alexander the Great), they were used in large-scaled polemics and rhetoric disputes. The choice of the ancient Greek history was logic, since many authors, from the first settlers to American founding fathers focused on the economic and commercial aspects of European colonies. Others colonizations, such as the Spanish colonies during the XVIth century, or the Victorian British empire in India, were inspired by Latin terminology, similar to the roman Imperium (the Spanish Monarchia Universalis).  The Article of Krishan Kumar remains one of the best references on the subject. The perception of Greek colonies during the XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries resulted from an attempt of defining colonialism as general phenomenon. It was seen as a way of situating European nations in a larger context, from the very origins of the West. As Europe increased its power on the whole world, many writers insisted on the Ancient thalassocracies, that spreaded Greek culture to the entire Mediterranean.That culture was perceived as the origin of occidental philosophy and way of live. Even the great ancient wars, as the Peloponnesian war, were percieved as omens of the wars between France and England during the whole XVIIIth century.

Keyphrases: Historiography, Colonization, Ancient Greece, Modern Times, New France, New England, New Holland, American Revolution
La divination par les sorts dans le monde oriental méditerranéen du IIe au VIe siècle après J.-C. : étude comparative des sortes Homericae, sortes Astrampsychi et tables d'astragalomancie en Asie mineure

The objective of this thesis is an exhaustive comparison of three contemporary cleromantic systems from Late Antiquity. Based on a rigorous analysis of the vocabulary, themes, rhetorical devices and probabilities, several similarities can be noticed. In all cases, positive and negative statements are well-balanced and the systems often use temporal variants to moderate predictions. When not linked to specific questions, they build on proverbs and epic elements from the literary, fictional tradition concerning oracles, though without abandoning the everyday concerns and themes of actual consultations. Rhapsodomancy falls within this trend and proves how epic poetry provides perfect material to conceive oracular predictions without ever exploiting the narrative context or literal aspects of the selected verses.

Keyphrases: oracle, astragalomancie, Homer, cleromancy, rhapsodomancy, astragalomancy, fortune
Le polar de la Caraïbe francophone : enjeux de l’appropriation du genre

Although long looked down on and given short shrift by the literary establishment, the detective novel now enjoys legitimacy. Yet a survey of such books published in the French-speaking Caribbean (Haiti, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique) indicates that this genre remains marginalized there. Be that as it may, the 1990’s ushered in a publishing surge on detective novels. While this attests to the genre’s acculturation, it nevertheless raises questions about which, if any, characteristics distinguish the Caribbean, francophone detective novel. Does it fit mould, or conversely seek to establish distance between itself and the norm? To answer such questions this thesis will explore the dynamics of appropriating the detective novel in said geocultural space. And in-depth study of fourteen novels in light of the poetics of genres, sociocriticism, and intermediality, forms the body of this thesis.  Its first chapter sets out a brief overview so as to contextualize these fourteen novels within the literary history of this genre, while at the same time highlighting the detective novel’s adaptation to the French-speaking Caribbean. This overview demonstrates that a significant number of writers pay heed to the magic and sorcery implied in their society so that they incorporate the supernatural, whereas the standard detective novel overwhelmingly adopts the logico-detective mindset. This explains why the second chapter addresses the use of the inscrutable and its relationship to Cartesianism. Meantime, the third chapter focuses on a topos of the genre, namely violence, with its commemorative and recurring manifestations in the Caribbean’s tumultuous history. Regardless of its immediate cause, the fourteen novels tend to conceive crime as linked to postcolonial history. Those characters who prove key to the genre make up the fourth chapter which examines them from the perspective of the social critique the articulate and personify. The final chapter endeavours to delineate the intermediality that structures the detective novel and has constituted its touchtone from the start. In short, the different avenues of inquiry enable one to grasp the confrontation between this genre’s traditional canon and its creative variants. This contributes to a better understanding of the phenomenon of transposing the detective novel to this region of the world.

Keyphrases: Guadeloupe, Martinique, violence, novel, French-speaking Caribbean, Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, detective novel, violence, poetics of genre, sociocriticism, Intermediality
Mesurer la résilience des ménages ruraux sénégalais : Une approche en termes de trajectoires et seuils de moyens d’existence

Since the 1970s, the consequences of climatic shocks have affected people in Senegalese rural areas. However, these populations aren’t passive when facing a major event and often try to resist. This is why we question the resilience of rural households. This paper aims to develop a theoretical and methodological approach of this concept. It mobilizes the sustainable livelihoods framework with livelihoods trajectories and livelihoods thresholds. The empirical part of this study focuses on two case studies in Senegalese rural areas (Niayes region and Groundnut Basin). Finally, we develop an household’s typology with three components: resilience, resistance and destitution. The results show the interest of a located resilience approach.

Keyphrases: philosophy, ethics, economics, resilience, livelihoods, trajectories, thresholds, philosophy, ethics, economics
Imperfect indifference : the rhythm, structure and politics of neutrality

This dissertation proposes the emergence of a poetry of the threshold in experimental literature, tracing its development from the mid-twentieth century to the early twenty-first century. The notion of threshold poetry is premised on a theory of the neutral (Barthes, Blanchot) as that which is located beyond or between opposition or mediates. Chapter One retraces the concept of monotony in aesthetic theory, from the Romantic period, where it figures as the antithesis to changefulness or poetic tension, to the emergence of conceptual art in the twentieth century. Chapter One further examines the relationship of monotony to melancholy through an analysis of “The Anatomy of Monotony” by Wallace Stevens and alphabet by Inger Christensen. Chapter Two proposes a ‘poetry of the threshold’ through an analysis of four works of experimental, paratextually structured works of poetry: Louis Zukofsky’s index to “A”; Alan Halsey’s “Index to Shelley’s Death,” which comes after The Text of Shelley’s Death; Lisa Robertson’s Cinema of the Present; and Carolyn Bergvall’s multimedia work Via. Chapter Three retraces the politics of neutrality in translation theory. Against the oppositional logic of original versus translation, it hypothetically proposes the realization of a ‘third’ or threshold text, which also serves to disrupt the familiar narratives of appropriation, absorption and assimilation that efface the difference of the writing subject. It examines the hybrid work Secession with Insecession by Chus Pato and Erin Moure as an example of threshold poetry. For both Maurice Blanchot and Roland Barthes, the neutral represents a potential third term that baffles the paradigm of oppositional thought. For Blanchot, the neutral is difference taken to the point of indifference and the opacity of transparency while Barthes’ desire for the neutral is for a lyrical utopia that is located beyond the constraints of purpose and marketability. The conclusion examines how the neutral corresponds to the conditions of freedom governing the creative principle of poiesis as the act of making without intention or purpose.

Keyphrases: Fragment, Poiesis, Monotony, Melancholy, Neutrality, 20th-century poetry, Early 21st-century poetry, Conceptual poetry, Experimental poetry, Translation, Paratext, Book index
Un poison même à petite dose : étude de la structure latente et des facteurs développementaux du sadisme sexuel

Sadistic offenders are generally described as a particular clinical entity committing serious offenses. However, the very notion of sexual sadism is plague with a significant number of problems. Among these, there are important problems of validity and reliability. Perceived as a disease which one can or can't have, sadism was studied as if sadistic offenders were fundamentally different from non-sadistic offenders. Actually, several studies suggest that the majority of psychological disorders present a dimensional rather that a taxonic structure. Therefore, the difference between two individuals will be a difference of intensity instead of nature. Although the medical conceptualization still prevails regarding sexual sadism, many evoke the idea that it might be best conceptualized using a dimensional approach.         On the other hand, our knowledge on the factors leading to the development of sexual sadism are based on weak empirical foundations. So far, very few studies have examined the factors leading to the development of sexual sadism and even fewer have attempted to validate their theories. In addition, our knowledge mainly comes from case studies of sexual murderers, some of whom exhibit an extreme form of sexual sadism. To our knowledge, no study has proposed a developmental model of sexual sadism. The identification of factors associated with the development of sexual sadism is essential in our understanding of this paraphilia and in the development of effective intervention strategies.       The aim of the present thesis is to clarify the concept of sexual sadism. Specifically, we are interested in its latent structure, its assessment and its developmental origins. From a sample of 514 sexual offenders assessed at the Massachusetts Treatment Center, the viability of a dimensional conception of sexual sadism will be tested using taxometrics analyses. In a second step, using Rasch analyses and two-parameters item response theory analyses, we will develop the MTCSS, a dimensional measure of sexual sadism. In a third and final stage, a developmental model of sexual sadism will be developed using structural equations analyses.        The current thesis will contribute significantly to the clarification of the concept of sexual sadism. A clarification of its latent structure and developmental factors will allow to develop better research designs to capture the essential aspects of sexual sadism. In addition, this will allow to identify the factors for which intervention is the most appropriate to reduce recidivism, or the severity of it.

Keyphrases: MTCSS, DSM, developmental factors, latent structure, sexual sadism
Étude de la toxicité causée par le gène C9orf72 dans la Sclérose Latérale Amyotrophique

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting the motor neurons. 10% of the cases are familial and using those families, many genes were shown to be involved in ALS pathogenesis, including SOD1, TARDBP and FUS. The GGGGCC repeat found in the first intron of C9orf72 is, to this day, the most common genetic cause of ALS. Many hypotheses have been speculated to explain the toxicity of the pathogenic GGGGCC repeat, including loss and gain of function mechanisms. Many proteins involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are evolutionarily conserved in the worm Caenorhabditis elegans. C. elegans is a transparent nematode widely used for anatomical, behavioural and genetic studies. It possesses an invariant cell lineage that includes 302 neurons in the adult nematode. Also, cellular stress responses and survival mechanisms are genetically regulated and conserved from the nematode and human. Therefore, our group, and others, have used C. elegans to model different aspects of neurodegenerative diseases including ALS.  To better understand the toxicity caused by the GGGGCC repeat expansion in C9orf72, we have developed two C. elegans models to understand either the impact of the loss of function of C9orf72 or the gain of toxicity of the RNA containing the GGGGCC repeat. To understand the loss of function, we have characterized the orthologue of C9orf72 in C. elegans, alfa-1 (ALS/FTD associated gene homolog). Mutant alfa-1 worms exhibit motor impairments leading to paralysis and neurodegenereation of the GABAergic neurons. Mutant worms are also sensitive to osmotic stress which can lead to increased neurodegeneration. On the other part, exposure of C. elegans neurons to the RNA containing the GGGGCC repeat causes also motor problem and degeneration affecting the motor neurons. Therefore, our data suggest that both loss of function of C9orf72 and toxic gain of function are detrimental to neurons.  Since motor dysfunctions in worms can be easily accessed in liquid culture, we have screened more than 4,000 FDA approved compounds in the alfa-1(ok3062) worms. 80 molecules were shown to improve alfa-1 impaired function and eleven of those were also tested for their effect to reduce the neurotoxicity caused by the GGGGCC repeat RNA. Eight molecules were shown to affect both types of neurotoxicity.  Finally, from these eight molecules that can improveboth types of toxicity, two were shown to restore the abnormal RNA expression observed in C9orf72 patient-derive cells. With this project, we aimed to identify molecules that can affect the loss of C9orf72 toxicity and the toxic gain of RNA function containing the GGGGCC repeat to hopefully open new therapeutic avenues for ALS patients.

Keyphrases: C. elegans, C9orf72, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, drug screening, neurodegeneration