La perception du risque sous terre : l'exemple des mineurs de fond de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue
This thesis is on the perception of risk underground. We want to understand how underground miners from the Abitibi-Temiscamingue region of Quebec perceive the inherent risks of their trade and how they react towards it.   The organization of the work, the operation of an underground mine and the underground production reports are the first elements we looked at. The concept of risk represents a relatively young concept that has interested numerous authors. An overview of the various approaches will allow us to define this concept by specifically using Mary Douglas’ research. However, we have carried out our own inquiry using a theoretical basis predominantly based on Pierre Bourdieu’s sociology.   Our hypothesis argues that in their perception of risk, underground miners from Abitibi-Temiscamingue have a practical sense that is primarily based on individual taking care of safety, the relation with production bonuses and a certain feeling of the inescapability of danger. Twenty semi-structured interviews and the classical participant observation technique were used to collect data.   The analysis of the work narratives has given a typology that identifies three groups of miners. We have started by scrutinizing each of the narratives in order to create a basic model. The results of the analysis have made it obligatory for us to review our initial hypothesis and to avoid making quick assumptions about underground miners’ fatalism.
Perception Risk Work Anthropology Sociology History