Béatrice Galinon-Mélénec

Trace

In collaboration with Yves Jeanneret,^[7] of the Université Paris-IV Sorbonne Paris-Sorbonne University, Béatrice Galinon-Mélénec analyzes the notion of trace in all its complexity. In her publications, in line with the works of Jacques Derrida, she reveals the processes at work in the human interpretation of trace and proceeds with a systematic deconstruction of the use that is made of it. She revisits the works of Erving Goffman on interactions in situations of communication; she does this using her paradigm concerning interactions of sign-traces of the body.

Sign-Trace

The processes which lead to naming a sign a fragment of perceived reality to which humans attach meaning has opened up several new lines of research in semiology. Béatrice Galinon-Mélénec diversifies the existing approaches by proposing a new terminology: the sign-trace. Starting from the principle that perception is the result (the trace) of the sentient body (which is itself a “body-trace”)^[8] and that qualifying what is perceived is the consequence (trace) of a cognitive process, the author proposes the use of the term sign-trace every time that the history of the construction of the emergence of the sign is worth repeating. She illustrates the interest of such an approach for recruiters who are anxious to avoid any personal discrimination when hiring^[9].

Human-Trace (Ichnos-Anthropos)

With the term "Human-Trace" (Ichnos-Anthropos), Béatrice Galinon-Mélénec establishes Anthropos as trace to signify that humans are in a constant "Body-Trace" evolution, which is the consequence of their interactions with the environment in which they live (nature, culture, techniques, society, etc.).^[10] The issue of these "traces of interactions" on the environment is associated in symmetry with the position relative to the body's plasticity (including the brain). Both the Ichnos-Anthropos and traces left by human activity in the environment produce a retroactive effect in a systemic dynamic, and have done since the beginning of humanity.^[11]

Influence

There has been a growing interest in the terms "human trace", "body-trace" and "sign-trace". Nevertheless, if reference is made to certain indexing tools ^[12], the citations lead us to conclude that their uses in French articles in the humanities between 2008-2018 are more often linked to the evocative power of the words that form them than the systemic, dynamic and multi-scale perspective that they encompass for their author. The traces of digital consultations of the works and publications reveal a 60% readership belonging to academia and from various geographical horizons ^[13] (The United States, Canada, Brazil, The United Kingdom, Italy, Romania, Spain, Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, India, The Philippines, Turkey, Mauritius, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gabon).

In French

• Galinon-Mélénec, Béatrice (1991). Projet et communication dans les universités (in French). Paris: Éditions d'Organisation. ISBN 978-2-7081-1320-6.
• —— (1994). De la Formation à l'emploi, le rôle de la communication (in French). Presses Universitaires Pau. ISBN 978-2-908930-15-3.
• —— (2003). Homme/animal: quelles relations? Quelles communications? (in French). Presses Universitaires Rouen. ISBN 978-2-87775-353-1.
• —— (2007). Penser autrement la communication - Du sens commun vers le sens scientifique. Du sens scientifique vers la pratique (in French). L'Harmattan. ISBN 978-2-296-02658-2.
• ——, ed. (2011). L'Homme Trace - Perspectives Anthropologiques des Traces Contemporaines (in French). CNRS Editions. ISBN 978-2-271-07139-2.
• —— (2012). "Homme-trace" et "signes-traces", deux paradigmes français à l'épreuve des faits (in French). Rouen: Klog Editions. ISBN 978-2-9539459-7-3.
• —— (2014). "Postface, La trace: propositions anthropologiques et ontologiques. Le rôle de la trace dans l'interprétation du monde par l'Homme". In Idjeraoui-Ravez, Linda; Pelissier, Nicolas. Quand les traces communiquent (in French). L'Harmattan. pp. 219–240. ISBN 978-2-343-04640-2.
• ——, ed. (2017). L'Homme-Trace - Des traces du corps au corps-trace (in French). CNRS Editions. ISBN 978-2-271-11417-4.

In English (translations from French)

• —— (2013). "Human-Trace" and "Sign-Traces": Two New French Paradigms Put To The Test. Translated by Kraftowitz, Laura. Rouen: Klog Editions.

Co-authorships

• Galinon-Mélénec, Béatrice; Martin-Juchat, Fabienne, eds. (2008). Le corps communicant - Le XXIe siècle, civilisation du corps? (in French). L'Harmattan. ISBN 978-2-296-04597-2.
• Galinon-Mélénec, Béatrice; Zlitni-Sami, eds. (2013). Traces numériques - De la production à l'interprétation (in French). CNRS Editions. ISBN 978-2-271-07239-9.
• Galinon-Mélénec, Béatrice; Liénard Fabien, Zlitni Sami, eds. (2015). L'Homme-trace - Inscriptions corporelles et techniques (in French). CNRS Editions. ISBN 978-2-271-08324-1.