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October 26, 2025

Ethiopian quarter: how migrants have shaped a thriving shopping district in South Africa’s city of gold

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Tanya Zack, Visiting senior lecturer, University of the Witwatersrand

Since its founding in 1886, Johannesburg, has been a city of migrants, internal and international. But the economic capital of South Africa has undergone big changes since 1994 when South Africa became a democracy. One such change involves migration into the city by people from other African countries.

A new book, The Chaos Precinct: Johannesburg as a port city, by Tanya Zack traces how migrant Ethiopians have shaped a trading post in Johannesburg’s inner city. Zack, a planner who specialises in urban policy, regeneration, informality and sustainable development, explains how the Ethiopians did it.

What space have Ethiopian migrants carved out in the centre of Johannesburg?

The book is set in the shopping centres of the so-called Ethiopian Quarter, in high-rise, formerly commercial buildings in the inner city of Johannesburg. It is a cross-border shopping hub of thousands of cupboard-sized shops crammed into buildings. It defies the categories of formal or informal, of wholesale or retail. And it is where people from all of southern Africa come to shop for fast fashion.

While migrants from several countries trade here, the trading post was pioneered by and remains dominated by Ethiopian and Eritrean migrants. It is an extraordinary shopping district in what were high-rise medical buildings. These office towers centre on Rahima Moosa (previously Jeppe) Street, where medical practitioners and pharmaceutical companies once agglomerated.

Buildings that had been underutilised or abandoned became the canvas for an entrepreneurial transformation. Ethiopian migrants led the repurposing of these structures into over 3,000 tiny shops. Shopfronts are linked to storerooms located higher up in the buildings or nearby spaces. This new retail footprint wasn’t known in Johannesburg three decades ago. And the scale of trading has attracted many infrastructure uses that support the transnational movement of goods and people.

It was not supported by formal planning or pension funds, but developed by migrant entrepreneurs, one shop at a time.

They draw on global supply chains, particularly Chinese wholesalers operating in warehouse-style malls west of the inner city, to access a steady stream of fast fashion, cosmetics and household items. Inner-city-based Ethiopian traders then retail these goods in individual or smaller quantities. Their clientele is composed largely of cross-border traders who on-sell the products throughout southern Africa.

This model has effectively turned the inner city into an inland port. It’s a logistics hub where goods circulate rapidly, and where shoppers are embedded in an informal yet highly organised distribution network.

The inner-city street grid, first surveyed in 1886 during Johannesburg’s mining camp era, consists of very short blocks, which amplify pedestrian and vehicular congestion. It’s a frenzied shopping environment.

Shopkeepers and stallholders have maximised their display areas through creative lightweight architectures. Small shopfronts are linked to storerooms higher up in buildings or nearby. Sidewalks are lined with street vendors, forming mini corridors.

Internal arcades in the buildings further maximise the retail footprint. This hybrid, vertically integrated structuring has generated a real estate boom in previously underutilised buildings in a flagging property market.

The success of this enclave is also tied to the migrants’ ability to craft both social and commercial networks. Migrant traders and cross-border shoppers have relationships based on trading through information sharing, mutual assistance, and informal credit mechanisms. Traders are necessarily adaptive. They adjust to the pace of demand, shifting product lines quickly. They also coordinate closely with suppliers and resellers throughout Southern Africa. The spaces they use and adapt are similarly flexible.

This combination of adaptive reuse, dense retail specialisation and networked entrepreneurship has allowed Ethiopian migrants to carve out a commercial territory that is at once highly visible and deeply embedded in regional trade flows.

South Africa has been harsh towards informal economic activity. How has this been managed?

The Ethiopian Quarter exists in a context of often-hostile municipal and national governance.

South Africa has historically oscillated between tolerance and repression of informal economic activity, particularly when driven by foreign migrants. Law enforcement campaigns have regularly targeted street traders and migrant shopkeepers. Traders and shoppers alike face the constant threat of violent policing, corruption, theft, and harassment. Uniformed police or wardens regularly confront them, demanding that they prove their migrant status. There’s talk of being detained in vehicles until a bribe is paid.

Ethiopian migrant traders have developed a range of strategies to navigate the challenges of hostility. They co-locate with other Ethiopian traders, and rely on ethnic and commercial networks to absorb shocks and share information about law enforcement activities.

Ethiopian traders have also innovatively adapted their physical and commercial operations to reduce vulnerability. Shops are designed to control stock and display goods while concealing cash and high-value items. The light architectures and arcade designs of Jeppe also make it possible to conceal the shop in the event of raids.

Shoppers spend as little time as possible inside the crime-ridden Johannesburg CBD. On the day they choose goods, they often carry no money. They return later with cash to purchase goods as swiftly as possible so that cash is not carried unnecessarily. Many hide cash on their bodies.

The infrastructures that have developed to service the port-like functions of this massive cross border trading hub offer storage, package, information exchange and distribution services. Hotels, buses and storage facilities provide relative safety for cross-border shoppers who must navigate a city known for crime. A 2017 survey, funded by the Johannesburg Inner City Partnership,
found that over 60% of retailers had experienced physical assault. 38% reported regularly giving police officers something to mitigate harassment.

What lessons do you draw about how cities should govern migration?

The cross-border shopping hub demonstrates that migrant-driven informal economies are engines of economic activity. Estimates based on the 2017 cross border shopping survey showed that shoppers in the Jeppe district alone spent close to US$600 million annually. This was twice the turnover of Sandton City, at that time Africa’s richest mall.

The activities of Jeppe mimic international entrepots like Singapore and Hong Kong. They offer information exchange, repackaging and distribution services for goods flowing from China to international destinations. This Johannesburg entrepot has regional significance, distributing goods throughout southern Africa. But it’s under-recognised by municipal authorities.

A law and order approach must at least be coupled with a developmental approach. Cities that aim to govern migration must integrate migrant economic activity rather than suppress it.

Support through infrastructure improvements and security provision would amplify Jeppe’s economic impact.

This includes recognising the legitimacy of informal trading spaces, investing in basic infrastructure and safety, and developing regulations that protect safety while accommodating new building uses.

Partnership approaches that involve traders’ associations, building managers and community intermediaries to co-manage spaces would be valuable.

What does your work tell us about a city that’s been in decline. And solutions?

The burgeoning economy in Jeppe needs to be recognised alongside the private investments in Johannesburg that are celebrated for their regenerative capacity. This migrant enclave demonstrates how urban regeneration can evolve out of the actions of thousands of actors.

The challenge is to direct, support and harness this energy.

If we were to think of Johannesburg as a port, how would we understand and use the ecosystems of trade, movement and distribution that this networked economy has created? What other services could flow through these ecosystems? And what safety, mobility and public infrastructure services are required to enhance these entrepot functions and claim this role for the city, an African urban hub tied to multiple cities and small towns across the continent?

The cross-border shopping hub of Jeppe offers hope for an inland entrepot to be recognised, supported and expanded to offer the global services that Johannesburg’s infrastructure can provide.

Tanya Zack does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Ethiopian quarter: how migrants have shaped a thriving shopping district in South Africa’s city of gold – https://theconversation.com/ethiopian-quarter-how-migrants-have-shaped-a-thriving-shopping-district-in-south-africas-city-of-gold-266494

October 26, 2025

Ghana’s banks are not lending enough to sectors where it matters most, like agriculture and manufacturing

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Abotebuno Akolgo, Postdoctoral Fellow, Bard College Berlin; Bayreuth University

Bank lending is a major source of funding for businesses in Ghana. It helps pay for operational expenditure and investment in expansion of productive capacity. Therefore, it is important that there is substantial, affordable, and accessible financial credit for all businesses in the medium to long term. More than this, it matters which sectors of the country’s economy receive most of its bank credit.

In a recent study of the sectoral distribution of bank lending in Ghana, I found that for two and a half decades, bank lending to the agricultural and manufacturing enterprises has been in sharp decline.

In the 25 years from 1999 to 2023, the share of total bank credit that went to the agricultural and manufacturing sector fell by about 65% and 56% respectively. For instance, in 1999, about 25% of total bank lending went to manufacturing businesses. By 2023 however, that figure had fallen to about 11%.

I am an economist with expertise in the political economy of money, finance, and development in Africa. My research on Ghana has attempted to explain the financial constraints to the country’s economic transformation since independence in 1957. I have previously written on Ghana’s sovereign indebtedness and its banking and monetary policies.

The findings in the current study matter because in Ghana, agriculture and manufacturing are crucial to creating substantial, sustainable, and shared economic growth. Agriculture is the second largest employer in Ghana’s economy after the services sector. It is also crucial for creating the raw materials that can fuel manufacturing sector growth.

The role of banks & finance in economic development

There is no single perspective among economists on how banks operate or should operate in an economy. There are those economists within neoclassical economics circles who hold the conventional, largely discredited view that banks act merely as intermediaries who take money from savers and lend to borrowers.

In contrast, there are those, particularly post-Keynesian economists, who assert, rightly, that modern banks do not merely receive deposits and turn them into loans. They insist that banks create credit for borrowers but not necessarily from savers’ deposits.

Still, most economists agree on some things. First of all, that finance is crucial to economic development. Secondly, that the banking system has a role in the flow of finance to individuals, households and businesses.

Not all forms of financial flows are healthy for economic transformation, however. The key then for successful financial policy is to distinguish between productive and unproductive credit.

Productive credit flows support the entrepreneurial innovation that is central to creating new products or expanding production levels. This kind of credit will for instance support agricultural production and expand manufacturing capacity and outputs.

Unproductive credit does not increase the level of output. For instance, lending to support household consumption or financial speculation is unproductive.

The Ghanaian banking system does not generate enough credit for the private sector. However, that was hardly the concern for this study. Of particular interest is the question: where does the credit go to?

Bank credit to agriculture and manufacturing has declined

My study set out to disaggregate the data on financial credit to the various sectors of the Ghanaian economy. These sectors included agriculture, manufacturing and services. The evidence shows that bank lending has not significantly supported real productive sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing.

As indicated in Figures 1 and 2, the shares of financial credit to the agricultural and manufacturing have been in decline. On average, over the last 25 years, 14.6% and 5.8% of total bank credit was allocated to manufacturing and agriculture respectively. In contrast, the services sector averaged 20.7% of bank credit. Commerce and finance sector received an average of 17.3% over the same period.

As productive sectors are denied sufficient credit, well-paid and sustainable jobs cannot be created in agriculture or manufacturing as most Ghanaians are reduced to informal petty trading of foreign goods.

Two main reasons have accounted for this dysfunction of the financial system. First, the foreign domination of Ghana’s banking sector, and second the failure of monetary policy. About 50% of banks in Ghana are foreign owned. Foreign banks tend to be more risk averse. They are less likely to lend to small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs).

Second, the Bank of Ghana’s excessive focus on monetary stability through inflation-targeting is problematic. It often results in raising interest rates and, consequently, borrowing costs. This discourages private sector borrowing while attracting bank investments into government securities. Ghana’s inflation is largely driven by structural factors and not money supply problems. These factors include production and transport costs. Monetary stability through inflation-targeting is therefore a misplaced priority.

Besides, by focusing solely on monetary stability, the central bank is neglecting its role to support the overall development of the economy through credit policy. This developmental role is clearly set out in The Bank of Ghana (Amendment) Act 2016 (Act 918). This revised the 2002 Act to take account of the central bank’s role to support government economic policy and ensure an efficient operation of the banking and credit system.

Before the IMF-led financial reforms of the 1980s and 1990s which were necessitated by the 1980s financial crisis, the Bank of Ghana intervened, effectively and efficiently, to direct credit to priority sectors. For instance, in the early 1980s when the liberal financial reforms had not taken root in Ghana, the Bank of Ghana used a combination of credit ceilings, interest rates, reserve requirements, and mandatory lending ratios to direct credit to agriculture and industry. Credit ceilings ensured that banks could not lend beyond a certain limit to sectors other than agriculture and manufacturing. Lower interest rates were also offered to agricultural loans and in other instances, mandatory lending ratios ensured banks were forced to lend a certain share of loans to agriculture and manufacturing.

Drawing lessons from the present moment and past, I recommend a serious rethink of financial policy. A return to some level of credit policies, a deliberate support for indigenous participation in the banking system and a revitalisation of development banks such as the Agricultural Development Bank and the National Investment Bank.

This article is the outcome of research conducted within the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bayreuth, funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany’s Excellence Strategy – EXC 2052/1 – 390713894

– ref. Ghana’s banks are not lending enough to sectors where it matters most, like agriculture and manufacturing – https://theconversation.com/ghanas-banks-are-not-lending-enough-to-sectors-where-it-matters-most-like-agriculture-and-manufacturing-265433

October 26, 2025

Taking down malaria’s bodyguards: scientists target parasite’s secret defence system

Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Tawanda Zininga, Lecturer and Researcher, Stellenbosch University

Malaria remains one of the world’s most devastating infectious diseases, claiming more than half a million lives each year. In Africa, the illness is mostly caused by a parasite carried by mosquitoes – Plasmodium falciparum.

When the parasite invades the human body, it faces a hostile environment: soaring fevers, attacks from the body’s immune system, and the stress of antimalarial medicines. Yet it can survive, thanks to an internal defence system made up of “helper” molecules known as heat shock proteins.

Among these, a powerful group called small heat shock proteins act as the parasite’s last line of defence. These molecules behave like tiny bodyguards, protecting other proteins inside the parasite from damage when conditions become extreme. They are the parasite’s emergency rescue team when energy reserves are dangerously low, such as during high fever or exposure to drugs.

In my biochemistry laboratory, we’re looking for ways to disrupt these bodyguards.

Master’s student Francisca Magum Timothy and I are using advanced protein-chemistry tools to examine three small heat shock proteins found in the parasite. These share a common core structure but behave differently.

We’ve found that they can be chemically disrupted. This marks an exciting direction for malaria research. Instead of directly killing the parasite, the approach focuses on disarming its defences, allowing other treatments or the body’s immune system to finish the job.

The next steps involve finding small, drug-like molecules that can specifically target and disable these parasite proteins without harming human cells. This will require advanced computer modelling, laboratory testing and eventually, studies in animal models to make sure the approach is both effective and safe. If successful, this could lead to a new class of antimalarial drugs that work in a completely different way from current treatments. This is an especially important goal as resistance to existing medicines continues to grow.

From early laboratory work to developing a drug that could be tested in people will likely take around eight to 10 years, depending on how the candidates perform in each research stage. Still, the discovery of these heat shock protein targets represents a big step forward and offers real hope for more effective, long-lasting malaria control in the future.

Unpacking the mysteries of three proteins

We found clear differences between the three proteins we tested in the laboratory.

One was the strongest and most stable of the trio, the other was more flexible but less stable, and one was the weakest protector.

When tested in stress conditions, all three acted as “molecular sponges”, preventing other proteins from clumping together. That’s a crucial step for the parasite’s survival during fever. But their protective strength varied: one offered the most consistent defence, while the other lost structure more easily.

These findings suggest that the parasite may rely on a team effort among the three, each taking on a slightly different role during stress.

So we asked: could natural compounds found in plants disrupt these bodyguards? Our team focused on quercetin, a plant-based flavonoid. Flavonoids are among the compounds that give plants their bright colours, like red in apples, purple in berries, or yellow in lemons. They help protect plants from sunlight, pests and disease. These are abundant in apples, onions and berries. Quercetin is already known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Some studies have already hinted that it might slow down malaria parasites.

When we exposed the parasite proteins to quercetin, we observed remarkable effects. The compound destabilised the small heat shock proteins, altering their shape and reducing their ability to protect other proteins. In simple terms, quercetin appeared to confuse or weaken the parasite’s bodyguards.

Further tests confirmed that quercetin also slowed the growth of malaria parasites in laboratory cultures. When malaria parasites were grown in controlled laboratory conditions and exposed to quercetin, they multiplied more slowly than usual, including strains that are resistant to standard drugs. This is encouraging because it suggests that quercetin itself, or new medicines made to work like it but even more strongly, could become the starting point for developing a new type of antimalarial drug in the future.

Moreover, small heat shock proteins kick in when the parasite’s energy supply, known as ATP, the cell’s main “fuel”, runs very low. In simple terms, when the parasite is close to running out of energy and facing danger, these proteins act as its last line of defence.

Next steps

Our findings point to the possibility of drugs being designed that shut down these ATP-independent helpers and strike the parasite precisely when it is weakest.

Although quercetin itself is a natural compound found in many foods, its potency and stability are not yet strong enough for clinical use. The team envisions chemical modification of quercetin’s structure to create derivatives with enhanced activity and better drug-like properties.

As global efforts to eliminate malaria face growing challenges from drug resistance, innovations like this provide renewed hope. By turning the parasite’s own survival machinery against it, scientists may have found a subtle but powerful way to outsmart one of humanity’s oldest foes.

Tawanda Zininga receives funding from the National Research Foundation and the Medical Research Council, who have no role in the project and its outcomes.

– ref. Taking down malaria’s bodyguards: scientists target parasite’s secret defence system – https://theconversation.com/taking-down-malarias-bodyguards-scientists-target-parasites-secret-defence-system-267029

October 25, 2025

Qu’est-ce que le « défilement anxiogène » ?

Source: The Conversation – France (in French) – By Marie Danet, Maîtresse de conférence en psychologie – HDR, Université de Lille

Le « défilement anxiogène » décrit ce geste familier où l’on fait défiler, parfois pendant des heures, des flux de mauvaises nouvelles. Un « réflexe numérique » qui manifeste nos biais cognitifs et notre façon de gérer les incertitudes.

Apparu en 2018, le terme de « défilement anxiogène », ou « doomscrolling », en anglais, s’est imposé pendant la pandémie de Covid. Dans la littérature scientifique, il renvoie à une habitude numérique : consulter des fils d’actualité, souvent sur smartphone, de façon compulsive avec une focalisation sur les contenus inquiétants, déprimants ou négatifs.

Comment expliquer ce phénomène ? Tout d’abord, par le biais de négativité qui focalise notre attention d’humains sur les contenus néfastes et qui nous incite donc à faire défiler les informations anxiogènes sans percevoir le temps qui passe. Ensuite, sur le plan cognitif, par l’incertitude qui active un mécanisme émotionnel de recherche d’informations rassurantes parmi les contenus négatifs. Mais cette quête, loin de réduire l’anxiété, tend à la renforcer en entretenant la vigilance et le doute.

Cette pratique de défilement est renforcée, d’une part, par la technologie qui offre un flux d’actualités illimités et, d’autre part, par les recommandations des algorithmes qui augmentent notre exposition à des informations saillantes, souvent négatives.

Une transformation du rapport à l’information

À partir d’une échelle de mesure du défilement anxiogène, on a observé que cette habitude numérique est associée à une détresse psychologique, à une moindre satisfaction de vie et à des usages problématiques des réseaux – sans pour autant pouvoir conclure à un lien de causalité.

Les liens entre défilement anxiogène et émotions négatives pourraient s’expliquer en partie par l’intolérance à l’incertitude. Selon une étude, celle-ci prédit en effet une augmentation du défilement anxiogène et une baisse du bien-être. Par ailleurs, l’intolérance à l’incertitude expliquerait le lien entre l’anxiété-état (tendance stable à ressentir de l’anxiété plus fréquemment ou intensément que la moyenne) et le défilement anxiogène. Cette pratique serait donc une façon de faire face, de réguler ses émotions sans pour autant être une stratégie efficace puisqu’elle ne permettrait pas un apaisement.

Cependant, le défilement anxiogène n’est pas juste une pratique individuelle. Il serait aussi le reflet d’un rapport au monde, de la façon dont les technologies numériques et le design de captation de l’attention peuvent transformer notre relation à l’information, avec un accès en temps réel à des événements négatifs. À côté de ce défilement anxiogène passif, le doomsurfing (exploration active d’un sujet) et le doomchecking (retour à des sources fiables pour vérifier) peuvent avoir une valeur de connaissance, d’information, s’ils ne dépassent pas nos limites émotionnelles.

Cette distinction rappelle que notre but n’est pas seulement de « nous sentir mieux », mais aussi d’être correctement informés. Pourtant, du point de vue de la connaissance, le défilement anxiogène est le moins recommandable, car il expose à la désinformation.

Comprendre le terme de défilement anxiogène et les mécanismes individuels et algorithmiques associés, c’est déjà commencer à le déjouer, en transformant un défilement passif en une pratique d’information plus consciente, plus choisie et moins délétère pour le bien-être.

La série « L’envers des mots » est réalisée avec le soutien de la délégation générale à la langue française et aux langues de France du ministère de la culture.

Marie Danet ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.

– ref. Qu’est-ce que le « défilement anxiogène » ? – https://theconversation.com/quest-ce-que-le-defilement-anxiogene-267836

October 25, 2025

Catherine Connolly and the paradoxes of the Irish presidency

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Eoin Daly, Lecturer Above The Bar, School of Law, University of Galway

Ireland is set to have a new president in the form of Catherine Connolly, an independent leftwing TD for Galway, and former deputy speaker of the Dáil.

The presidential election campaign was a colourful and eccentric spectacle. Since the Irish president isn’t an executive office with power over policy, the campaign focused on obscure ethical scandals around the two candidates, Connolly and Fine Gael candidate Heather Humphreys.

At times, though, the debate strayed into various policy issues despite the president having no power over these. The candidates’ views on everything from housing, disability, military neutrality and even foxhunting came under scrutiny.

For many, the campaign will have seemed awkward and profoundly odd. Ireland went through the rigmarole of a national election but for something for which the political stakes are undeniably low. This, in turn, reflects certain anomalies of the Irish presidency as a political institution.

The president of Ireland, a role created by the 1937 constitution, is the only national office elected directly by the people. The president will, therefore, have a very significant democratic mandate, and will tend to be a popular figure.

But this mandate is not matched by very much power. A president must campaign for a mandate from the people, yet once in office, finds no real conduit, other than speech itself, through which to make good on that mandate.

Presidential powers

In a parliamentary democracy such as the UK or Ireland – where the executive government is formed from within the parliament – the head of state will tend to have quite modest constitutional functions. Even where the head of state is a president, they will tend to have powers quite similar to those of a hereditary monarch. They formally sign bills into law and perform certain other strictly ceremonial constitutional functions, while serving as a symbol of continuity, national unity and so on.

One of the advantages of having an elective head of state, however, is that it becomes politically feasible to grant them more extensive powers of the sort that would be difficult to envisage for a monarch.

What exactly these powers are varies across parliamentary republics such as Germany, Italy or Greece. While Ireland’s post-independence constitutions mirrored many basic features of the British parliamentary system, they had elements of novelty and innovation as well. The office of the president was one of these.

Indeed, if someone were to read the constitution with no context, it makes the president seem like a potentially key player in the political system.

In particular, the constitution seems to envisage the president being a sort of arbiter in the legislative process, particularly in the event of deadlock between the two houses – the Dáil and Seanad (senate). These powers arise, for example, in the event of disputes over what counts as a “money bill”, or reducing the time the senate has to consider bills during a public emergency. The president also has, in theory, a power to refer bills to referendum, where petitioned by a majority of the Senate and one-third of the Dáil.

Douglas Hyde, Ireland’s first president.
Wikipedia

However, this potentially important umpire role has never really materialised in practice, mostly because these powers seem to envisage situations of dispute between the two houses that have hardly ever arisen in practice. The senate has never really posed much of a barrier to government legislation coming from the Dáil, partly because the taoiseach gets to nominate almost one-fifth of its members. Governments therefore have an almost guaranteed majority in the upper as well as lower houses. Any notional role of umpire for the president becomes redundant in a legislative system so dominated by the government.

The president does also have the power to refer bills to the Supreme Court to test their constitutionality, a power that has been used 16 times. However, relatively few constitutional controversies have been resolved through this process. The more common route to resolving any doubts about potentially unconstitutional laws has been through via advice from the attorney general.

Beyond legislation, the president is theoretically a potential kingmaker in the process of government formation. Unlike the British monarch, the president cannot “invite” anybody to form a government. But they can refuse a taoiseach’s request to call a snap election, if the taoiseach has lost the confidence of the Dáil. But again, the role notionally envisaged for the president, as a kind of arbiter within the political system, never really materialised in practice, as an expectation emerged of presidents having a passive and ceremonial role.

With many of their formal powers becoming more or less redundant, a president who was campaigned for and received the people’s trust must fulfil that mandate by some other means. More recent presidents, especially Mary Robinson and the outgoing president, Michael D Higgins, have sought to express their democratic mandate more in the realm of symbolism than in the exercise of any hard power. Higgins controversially used the presidency to speak out in the range of topics, from housing and inequality, to the issues of neutrality and genocide on the international stage.

Michael D Higgins: an outspoken president.
Shutterstock/D. Ribeiro

But the controversies of Higgins’ tenure neatly reflected the wider paradoxes of the Irish presidency. Many of the powers of the office – at least the discretionary powers where the president has some choice – are almost redundant. Its legitimacy and clout is expressed almost exclusively in the symbolic realm. Higgins gave voice to widely held concerns of injustice and inequality both in Ireland and globally – but it would be difficult to argue that this shifted the political needle leftwards in Ireland during his tenure. It is in that context that another relatively radical figure will assume office as president of Ireland.

Eoin Daly does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Catherine Connolly and the paradoxes of the Irish presidency – https://theconversation.com/catherine-connolly-and-the-paradoxes-of-the-irish-presidency-268245

October 25, 2025

Blue Jays fever sets in as Canada takes in the World Series for the first time in 32 years

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Russell Field, Associate Professor, Sport and Physical Activity, University of Manitoba

Late on an October Monday night, George Springer smashed a three-run homer to send nearly 45,000 fans in Toronto’s Rogers Centre — and a record national television audience — into a frenzy.

Six outs later, the Blue Jays had qualified for the 2025 World Series against the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

It had the feeling of a denouement. Yet, like other famed home runs in Blue Jays history, Springer’s blast was just one step in the long journey through baseball’s three playoff rounds.

Edwin Encarnacion’s extra-inning walk-off homer against the Baltimore Orioles in 2016 only won an elimination wildcard game.

A year earlier, Jose Bautista’s then-audacious bat flip followed a dramatic home run — also like Springer’s hit in the seventh inning — that moved the Blue Jays onto the same championship series round that they had not won since 1993. Until this year.

The enduring legacy of 1993

Invoking 1993 holds special resonance for Blue Jays fans. It’s the last time the team won, let alone reached, the World Series.

That year produced the most dramatic home run in team history. Joe Carter’s Game 6, ninth-inning, three-run blast to left field was only the second time a World Series had ended with a walk-off home run. It clinched the team’s second straight championship.

Addison Barger is the latest Jay to hit a historic home run. He became the first pinch hitter in World Series history to hit a grand slam to propel the Jays to a decisive 11-4 victory in the first showdown in the Toronto-Los Angeles matchup.

It is easy to tell the story of the Blue Jays through the lens of dramatic game-winning home runs. However, the context of the team’s championships —and near misses — offers a more nuanced tale.

Building a contending team

Toronto, thanks to funding from Labatt Breweries, was granted an American League expansion franchise in 1977, alongside the Seattle Mariners — the team Toronto just vanquished in the championship series this year. The Mariners remain the only current franchise never to have played in a World Series.

Following a handful of dire losing seasons, Blue Jays management earned a reputation for talent development. The first crop of stars — Dave Stieb, George Bell and Tony Fernandez — won a division championship in the team’s ninth season. They fell one game short of qualifying for the World Series, losing the only seventh game in a post-season series in franchise history prior to this year.

That team played in an open-air, refurbished football stadium. Fans chilled by the cool breezes off Lake Ontario did not enjoy the irony of cheering on their brewery-owned team in a venue where beer sales were prohibited by provincial edict.

Modernity came to Toronto in 1989 when the team moved into SkyDome, a then-state-of the-art domed stadium complete with retractable roof (and by then, beer vendors) that was funded and operated by a public-private partnership.

After playoff disappointments in 1989 and 1991, that generation of Blue Jays stars broke through in 1992 to reach the World Series for the first time. Prior to the second game at Atlanta’s Fulton County Stadium, the U.S. Marine Corps colour guard walked onto the field with the Canadian flag flying upside down.

The controversy was integrated into circulating narratives that Americans did not respect Canadian teams. It is a still-perpetuated trope: the Toronto Star has spent this playoff run reporting on “what the U.S. media said” about Blue Jays’ victories, as though that matters.

The Blue Jays 2025 success — realizing the promise of a new generation of star prospects headlined by Vladimir Guererro Jr. and Bo Bichette — has rekindled memories of these past glories: the first winning teams of the 1980s, the back-to-back champions in 1992-93 and the bravado of the Bautista-Encarnacion-Josh Donaldson teams from a decade ago.

Lost in this pantheon of star players and dramatic moments, however, is the two decades of mediocrity that followed the heights of the Carter home run.

Changes in corporate ownership

The Blue Jays core aged or moved on and Labatt’s was purchased by the Belgian conglomerate, Interbrew SA.

A more dispassionate, bottom-line ownership led to teams that failed to reap the talents of Hall of Famers like Roy Halladay and major stars like Carlos Delgado and Shawn Green.

Rogers Communications purchased 80 per cent of the Blue Jays in 2000, with Interbrew retaining 20 per cent. The on-field performance changed little, but the business model evolved significantly.

Rogers acquired the remaining 20 per cent of the team in July 2004. Before the year was out, it had gained control of SkyDome for $25 million, a fraction of the $600 million that the stadium has cost to build only 15 years earlier. Now fully privately owned, it was renamed the Rogers Centre.

Today, the Blue Jays reflect the vertical integration of modern commercial sports. The team is the primary tenant in a stadium operated by their owners. Their games are broadcast on television channels, radio stations and streaming services owned and operated by Rogers Communications. These channels market other Rogers-owned content during Blue Jays games.

Meanwhile, fans consume this content on cable subscriptions and internet services that are Rogers’ core businesses. The newest extension of this revenue-generation model is the increasing prominence of sports betting, which is integrated fully into broadcasts by on-screen commentators providing odds as though delivering sports “news,” not paid advertising

Canada’s team

The production and circulation of dominant narratives is a consequence of such a structure, what sociologist David Whitson termed “circuits of promotion.”

One of the most powerful is that the support for the Blue Jays is nationwide. They are Canada’s team. There is an element of truth to this. The Blue Jays’ fan base is considerable, particularly when they are winning.

But this is also a marketing construct — one that benefits from the Blue Jays being the only remaining Canadian-based team in a U.S.-operated professional sports league. This would be a much harder narrative to sell if the Montreal Expos were not now the Washington Nationals, and it is not entirely novel.

Basketball’s Toronto Raptors, themselves the beneficiaries of the relocation of the Vancouver Grizzlies, capitalized on both the team’s appeal as well as its monopoly on Canadian markets with its wildly popular 2019 marketing campaign, “We The North.”

Come Friday night, when Trey Yesavage throws the first pitch of the 2025 World Series, the absence of other Canadian-based teams and the centralization of media outlets in Toronto will ensure there will be a ready (and passionate) audience across the country all ready to chant: “Let’s go, Blue Jays!”

Russell Field does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Blue Jays fever sets in as Canada takes in the World Series for the first time in 32 years – https://theconversation.com/blue-jays-fever-sets-in-as-canada-takes-in-the-world-series-for-the-first-time-in-32-years-267943

October 25, 2025

Autism charities portray autistic people as helpless and a burden – our research shows why it matters

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Helen Abnett, Research Fellow, University of Hertfordshire

Autism charities are important organisations. They provide essential services for autistic people, influence policy decisions, and often speak on behalf of autistic people.

This means that how these charities write about autistic people may influence how society understands what it means to be autistic. The words and pictures that autism charities choose to use affect how autistic people are understood, perceived and cared for. This really matters, as autism is still often stigmatised.

Our recent study shows that the language and images large autism charities use mainly portray autistic people as a problem. In contrast, charities represent themselves as the solution to this problem.

In England and Wales, different kinds of charity organisation are crucial providers of public services. Charities are often seen by government as the best way to meet the needs of less-heard or underserved groups, including autistic people. Some receive specialist care and education services from autism charities.

These charities also influence policy discussions and decisions. Research conducted by autism charities is regularly mentioned in parliament. The NHS refers autistic people and their carers looking for support to both national and local charities.

Previous research has shown how certain types of charities (particularly large international development charities) describe the people they are seeking to support in developing country communities in negative and problematic ways. People are often portrayed as “passive”, “voiceless” and “(culturally) backward”.

Similarly, a small amount of research demonstrates that autism charity advertising and websites consistently convey negative portrayals of autistic people. For example, one previous study describes how an advert for a UK charity depicted autism as “a child-enveloping monster that had to be destroyed to allow a boy to live a normal life”.

How we conducted our research

For our study, we identified the largest autism charities in England and Wales. We used data held by the Charity Commission to identify charities with incomes of £10 million or more and that only provided support to autistic adults, children or both. There were 11 charities that met these criteria. Then, we downloaded the most recent annual reports and accounts for these charities.

We explored how autism charities described autistic people, themselves and the government. We used critical autism studies – which seeks to question stereotypes, and views autism as a difference rather than a disorder – as an approach to evaluate and explain the reports, and suggest how things could be improved.

We found that autistic people are largely portrayed as problems, as challenging and as a burden. Autistic people are frequently depicted as being needy and infantile. Every single charity depicts autistic people as needing to change. Autistic people, they say, should be more communicative or resilient.

We think that the use of this kind of language and imagery has negative consequences for wider societal attitudes towards autistic people. In contrast, in these documents, charities – who did not appear to be led by autistic people – represented themselves as experts, with the authority to act for and speak on behalf of autistic people.

This links to an overwhelming message in the reports that these charities need to be able to do more, to be bigger and often better-known, and that they need more funding to enable them to achieve this.

Gigantic red hand points at defeated man sitting on red floor. — Charities need to help foster agency in people with autism.
Master1305/Shutterstock

This seems to reflect the “non-disabled saviour” trope that has been found to be common in popular culture. This trope highlights the action, even heroism, of non-disabled people “saving” disabled people, rather than centring disabled people’s agency.

All these charities also describe themselves as being funded by government. Alongside this, however, government is primarily portrayed as a barrier to the effective provision of services for autistic people. Government funding and policy decisions are described as arbitrary and inconsistent. It suggests a government (at both local and national level) that is ineffective and unreliable.

What should change?

We hope our findings encourage autism charities to reflect on how they describe the people they exist to support. Words and imagery should convey the reality of autistic lives rather than leaning on outdated notions of pity or burden.

That starts with meaningful autistic representation at every level of charity leadership, including decision-making roles. Representation shouldn’t be tokenistic. It should shape how organisations operate and communicate.

Charities and governments also need to rethink the current system of service provision and funding, which often leaves charities overstretched and autistic people underserved.

Most of all, we hope our research helps to contribute to a society that recognises autistic people not as problems to be solved, but as people to be valued and understood on their own terms.

Helen Abnett has previously received funding from the Economic and Social Research Council.

Aimee Grant receives funding from the Wellcome Trust, MRC and ESRC.

Kathryn Williams receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council. She is also the research director for Autistic UK CIC, a non-profit Autistic-led organisation seeking to improve the representation and wellbeing of Autistic adults across the UK.

– ref. Autism charities portray autistic people as helpless and a burden – our research shows why it matters – https://theconversation.com/autism-charities-portray-autistic-people-as-helpless-and-a-burden-our-research-shows-why-it-matters-267385

October 25, 2025

Vente par la Russie d’hydrocarbures à la Chine en yuan : fin du dollar, opportunité pour l’euro ?

Source: The Conversation – in French – By Suwan Long, Assistant Professor, LEM-CNRS 9221, IÉSEG School of Management

De 80 % à 85 % du pétrole de l’Union européenne étant encore facturé en dollar états-unien (USD), le paiement du pétrole russe en yuan par la Chine pourrait marquer un tournant monétaire historique. William Potter/Shutterstock

Le yuan (monnaie chinoise, officiellement appelée renminbi) s’impose dans le commerce du pétrole et du gaz entre la Russie et la Chine. Cette évolution présente des risques pour l’Union européenne, mais aussi une opportunité pour l’euro dans le contexte énergétique.

Lors du 25ᵉ Sommet de l’Organisation de coopération de Shanghai (OCS) tenu à Tianjin, en septembre 2025, les dirigeants chinois et russes ont ouvertement défendu un commerce de l’énergie en dehors du dollar états-unien. Cette poussée vers la dédollarisation, illustrée par l’augmentation des ventes de pétrole et de gaz de la Russie à la Chine en yuan (monnaie chinoise, officiellement renminbi), marque un bouleversement dans le commerce de l’énergie.

Pour l’Union européenne, et plus précisément pour les entreprises de la zone euro, où les importations de pétrole sont encore très largement facturées en dollars, cette évolution agit comme une arme à double tranchant.

Le yuan, central dans les accords énergétiques Russie–Chine

En quelques années, le yuan s’est affirmé comme monnaie de réglage importante dans les échanges énergétiques russo-chinois. En 2022, les entreprises Gazprom et China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) commencent à réduire leurs paiements en dollar pour certains contrats, en favorisant l’usage du rouble et du yuan. En 2023, le commerce bilatéral a atteint un record de 240 milliards de dollars (+ 26 %), avec la moitié du pétrole russe exporté vers la Chine.

En 2024, le commerce bilatéral Chine-Russie atteint 244,81 milliards de dollars états-uniens, en hausse de 1,9 % par rapport à 2023, selon les douanes chinoises. Ce chiffre s’explique par la montée des échanges sur la paire CNY/RUB, c’est-à-dire le taux de change entre le yuan chinois et le rouble russe. Autrement dit, de plus en plus d’entreprises russes achètent ou vendent directement des yuans contre des roubles, alors qu’auparavant, elles passaient presque toujours par le USD/RUB, le taux entre dollar des États-Unis et rouble.

Ce glissement reflète un transfert progressif du commerce de l’énergie russe, autrefois dominé par le dollar, vers la monnaie chinoise.

Ce basculement s’est confirmé à Tianjin, où Xi Jinping, Vladimir Poutine et Narendra Modi ont soutenu l’usage accru des monnaies nationales. Le président de la République populaire de Chine a même proposé la création d’une banque de développement destinée à contourner le dollar et à limiter l’impact des sanctions.

Plus de 80 % du pétrole de l’UE facturé en dollar

L’OCS réunit dix membres : la Chine, la Russie, l’Inde, le Pakistan, l’Iran, le Kazakhstan, le Kirghizstan, le Tadjikistan, l’Ouzbékistan et le Bélarus. Ils représentent près de la moitié de la population mondiale et un quart du PIB. Le commerce de la Chine avec ses partenaires a atteint 3,65 trillions de yuans (500 milliards de dollars états-uniens) en 2024.

Le commerce de la Chine avec ses partenaires est de plus en plus souvent réglé en yuan, transformant progressivement la monnaie chinoise en instrument international de facturation et d’échange, au-delà de son usage domestique. Le dollar conserve toutefois son statut dominant, représentant encore 58 % des réserves mondiales en 2024.

L’Union européenne (UE) reste largement dépendante du dollar pour ses importations d’énergie. Entre 80 et 85 % du pétrole de l’Union européenne est facturé en dollar états-unien (USD), alors qu’une part infime provient des États-Unis. Ce choix s’explique par le rôle du dollar comme monnaie commune de transaction sur les marchés mondiaux. Il sert d’intermédiaire entre producteurs et acheteurs, quelle que soit leur nationalité. L’UE se rend de facto vulnérable aux variations du dollar et aux décisions de la Réserve fédérale des États-Unis.

Nouvelle complexité pour les entreprises européennes

Si le commerce mondial du pétrole et du gaz cessait d’être dominé par le dollar pour se répartir entre plusieurs monnaies comme le yuan ou la roupie, les entreprises européennes, surtout celles de la zone euro, devraient s’adapter à un environnement financier plus complexe.

Aujourd’hui, la plupart d’entre elles achètent leur énergie en dollars. Elles peuvent se protéger contre les variations du taux de change grâce à des « marchés de couverture » très développés. Ces marchés permettent de conclure des contrats financiers à l’avance pour bloquer un taux et éviter des pertes si la valeur du dollar change.

Avec le yuan, la situation serait plus difficile. Les outils financiers permettant de se couvrir sont encore limités, car la Chine contrôle les mouvements de capitaux et restreint la circulation de sa monnaie à l’étranger. Autrement dit, le yuan ne circule pas librement dans le monde. Cela réduit la liquidité, c’est-à-dire la capacité d’une entreprise à acheter ou vendre rapidement des yuans quand elle en a besoin. Moins la monnaie circule, moins il y a d’échanges possibles, et plus les transactions deviennent lentes et coûteuses. Pour les entreprises, cela signifie des paiements plus complexes et des coûts financiers plus élevés.

Des signes concrets montrent que ce scénario commence à se concrétiser. En mars 2023, la China National Offshore Oil Corporation et TotalEnergies ont conclu la première transaction de gaz naturel liquéfié (GNL) libellée en yuan via une bourse de Shanghai. Quelques mois après, l’entreprise pétrolière publique de la République populaire de Chine a réalisé une autre transaction en yuan avec Engie. Ces accords illustrent la montée en puissance du yuan dans les échanges énergétiques et annoncent un nouvel équilibre où les entreprises européennes devront composer avec une plus grande diversité de devises.

Rôle accru de l’euro dans la facturation énergétique

L’évolution du commerce mondial de l’énergie ouvre une opportunité stratégique pour l’Union européenne : renforcer le rôle de l’euro dans la tarification du pétrole et du gaz, et réduire sa dépendance vis-à-vis du dollar – ou, demain, du yuan.

L’euro est déjà la deuxième monnaie mondiale, représentant 20 % des réserves. Elle sert de référence pour plus de la moitié des exportations européennes. Dans le commerce de l’énergie, son rôle demeure limité. Dès 2018, la Commission européenne avait d’ailleurs recommandé d’accroître son usage dans la tarification énergétique, afin de consolider la souveraineté économique du continent.

Les progrès les plus visibles concernent le gaz. Selon la Banque centrale européenne, la réduction des approvisionnements russes a poussé l’Union européenne à s’intégrer davantage aux marchés mondiaux du gaz naturel liquéfié (GNL). Les prix européens sont désormais étroitement liés aux marchés asiatiques, ce qui rend l’UE plus sensible aux variations de la demande mondiale. Cette interdépendance renforce l’intérêt de développer des contrats de gaz libellés en euros.

La même logique pourrait s’appliquer au pétrole. l’Union européenne importe plus de 300 milliards d’euros d’énergie chaque année. Elle dispose d’un poids suffisant pour négocier avec ses partenaires commerciaux, notamment les producteurs du Golfe cherchant à diversifier leurs devises.

Vers une monnaie énergétique européenne ?

Faire de l’euro une monnaie de référence dans les échanges énergétiques ne se décrète pas, mais cela pourrait devenir un levier essentiel de la politique monétaire et énergétique européenne.

L’euro dispose d’atouts : il est relativement stable, pleinement convertible, et soutenu par la Banque centrale européenne. Si des cargaisons de pétrole ou de gaz étaient facturées en euros, cela réduire la dépendance au dollar, simplifierait la couverture monétaire pour les entreprises européennes, et renforcerait l’indépendance financière de l’Union.

Ce virage monétaire implique des défis concrets. Le marché de l’énergie en euros reste peu développé, et certains pays ou entreprises pourraient craindre des sanctions états-uniennes s’ils s’éloignent du dollar. Surmonter ces freins nécessite de renforcer les marchés de capitaux européens, de créer des produits de couverture expressément en euros pour l’énergie, et d’assurer une politique économique stable à l’échelle de la zone euro.

Cette démarche ne vise pas à remplacer le yuan, mais à établir une alternative équilibrée, où l’euro pèse dans la facturation, dans les réserves stratégiques et dans le paysage monétaire mondial.

Suwan Long ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.

– ref. Vente par la Russie d’hydrocarbures à la Chine en yuan : fin du dollar, opportunité pour l’euro ? – https://theconversation.com/vente-par-la-russie-dhydrocarbures-a-la-chine-en-yuan-fin-du-dollar-opportunite-pour-leuro-265602

October 25, 2025

Le fabuleux destin des comédies musicales françaises sur le continent asiatique

Source: The Conversation – in French – By Bernard Jeannot-Guerin, Enseignant chercheur en études culturelles, Université de Lorraine

En juin 2023 à Xiamen (Chine), la chanteuse Cécilia Cara assure la promotion de la tournée de _Roméo et Juliette, de la haine à l’amour_, de Gérard Presgurvic, créée en 2001.

Youtube/capture d’écran.

« Molière », le spectacle musical de Dove Attia, vient d’entamer une tournée en Chine, emboîtant le pas à « Notre-Dame de Paris » et au « Roi Soleil » en Corée du Sud ou aux « Misérables » et à « Mozart, l’opéra rock » au Japon. Souvent boudées par la critique, les comédies musicales à la française s’exportent en Asie, où elles rencontrent un succès grandissant.

En 2023, 35 % des spectacles de comédie musicale en Chine étaient francophones, et les chiffres dépassent de loin les données de production françaises. Passage désormais obligé, la tournée asiatique consacre le spectacle francophone en reconnaissant ce que la France considère précisément comme des défauts mercantiles : le spectaculaire, le vedettariat et le kitsch.

Entre goût populaire et attrait populiste

Si, en France, les pratiques pluridisciplinaires se démocratisent aujourd’hui dans les conservatoires, il existe en Asie une tradition pluridisciplinaire du spectacle vivant. Lee Hyun-joo, Jean-Marie Pradier et Jung Ki-eun montrent qu’en Corée, les acteurs savent performer tant pour la télévision que pour le théâtre et pour la comédie musicale.

La comédie musicale participe du paysage culturel asiatique : les shows de Broadway sont depuis longtemps importés. Mais l’hyperspectacle français attire pour ce qu’on lui reproche ici même : faisant la promotion des tubes au mépris de la diégèse, les productions s’accordent à surmédiatiser la chanson pop, à la véhiculer dans des théâtres traditionnels avec la même volonté politique d’occidentalisation qui présida à l’importation d’un art lyrique issu des opéras.

Il s’agit également de faire valoir la musicalité de la langue française et l’image de ses interprètes. C’est d’ailleurs ainsi que Nicolas Talar, producteur de Notre-Dame de Paris, pense le marché du spectacle vivant : il parle d’une langue commune.

À la frontière de la K-pop : « sweet power » et culture adolescente

Le spectacle de comédie musicale à la française contribue peut-être au « sweet power », tel que défini par Vincenzo Cicchelli et Sylvie Octobre : un attrait pour l’esthétique et une globalisation culturelle qui adoucissent les clichés impérialistes portés jadis par les spectacles plus traditionnels.

En donnant la part belle aux figures juvéniles tiraillées entre révolte, tourments et exaltation, la comédie musicale française se rapproche des idols (ces artistes des deux sexes sélectionnés adolescents, principalement pour leur physique) de la K-Pop dont l’esthétique « cute » séduit les adolescentes. Spécialiste des questions de l’émotion dans la littérature française, Siyang Wang a analysé l’attrait suscité par le spectacle le Rouge et le Noir en Chine et signale que « les spectatrices de moins de 25 ans représentent plus de 50 % du public, tandis qu’elles ne constituent qu’un pourcentage minoritaire (10 %-20 %) du public de la comédie musicale traditionnelle ».

En 2018, en Chine, la ferveur pour le personnage de Mozart, incarné par le créateur du rôle Mikelangelo Loconte, a pris de l’ampleur quand le jeune Yanis Richard a repris le rôle avec extravagance et sensibilité dans la tournée 2024, se faisant surnommer « Kid Mozart ». Côme, finaliste de The Voice en France en 2015, campe de son côté un Julien Sorel timide et mélancolique dans le Rouge et le Noir. En Chine, il est rebaptisé « Julien qui sort du roman » pendant la tournée de 2019.

Les chansons portées par ces figures juvéniles permettent à la communauté de fans – qui a « soif de chaleur humaine » – d’adopter des relations parasociales avec les personnages et leurs interprètes.

Vincent Cicchelli et Sylvie Octobre nous rappellent que le contenu des chansons de K-pop, « dans lesquelles les fans se reconnaissent, explorent ainsi les amours, les joies mais aussi les troubles, les angoisses et les diverses formes de vulnérabilités liées à l’adolescence ».

De Paris à Shanghai, il s’agit d’offrir une pop globale : les voix sirupeuses, la plastique du chanteur de charme ou la verve insolente de la star prépubère sont autant d’éléments humanisant le héros et ralliant le fan à son idole. Le personnage-star devient un ami imaginaire, voire un amour idéalisé.

Les interprètes sont à l’image des groupes préfabriqués de la K-pop qui permettent l’ascension de jeunes artistes. Depuis les années 2000, les performers français des comédies musicales sont globalement issus des télécrochets. Le casting permet à ces nouveaux venus promus par la télévision de se faire un nom dans un show détonnant et de parfaire leur image grâce au jeu médiatique. La projection et l’identification du public – français comme asiatique, d’ailleurs – à ces modèles de réussite spectaculaire contribuent à faire de la scène une fabrique du rêve.

Baroque, paillettes et guitares électriques

Si Roméo et Juliette et 1789, les amants de la Bastille ont été adaptés en langue japonaise, qu’est-ce qui pousse le public asiatique à plébisciter les shows français en langue originale ? La comédie musicale séduit, car elle convoque un sujet patrimonial, socle fondamental d’un livret dont le public n’a besoin que de connaître les grands axes. Seule compte la fable, symbole d’une culture européenne qui fait rêver. L’engouement pour le chant, la danse, les arrangements et les effets de machinerie renforce l’expressivité du mouvement dramatique et nourrit l’attrait populaire.

La spécialiste des contes de fée Rebecca-Anne C. Do Rozario a d’ailleurs montré en quoi l’emphase du sujet historique, mythique ou littéraire suscite l’emphase scénique, et amplifie les émotions du spectateur. La surenchère visuelle dans Molière ou dans 1789 convoque une imagerie affective renvoyant à la magie d’une cour de France imaginaire où dominent strass et dorures.

Le costume est d’une importance capitale pour mobiliser ces images affectives : les tons pastel avoisinent le gothique chic dans l’univers psychédélique de Mozart. Les tenues en cuir de Roméo et Juliette transportent l’intrigue dans le monde d’aujourd’hui, tandis que les formes et les couleurs tenant d’un baroque de convention offrent du pittoresque et de la lisibilité.

Les sujets classiques sont aussi redynamisés par les rythmes pop-rock et l’amplification de la musique électronique sur lesquels le public chante et danse comme dans un concert. Laurent Bàn, performer français ovationné dans les tournées asiatiques, a expérimenté l’aspect récréatif de ces spectacles cathartiques, selon lui plus important qu’en Europe :

« Le public sait que, pendant deux heures, il peut crier, applaudir, hurler, pleurer. »

L’imaginaire français : entre tradition et kitsch

Dans sa thèse, Tianchu Wu explique en quoi Victor Hugo est un des écrivains les plus plébiscités par le public asiatique. Symboles d’une culture française romantique et humaniste, les Misérables (1862, traduit dès 1903, ndlr) et Notre-Dame de Paris (1831, traduit dès 1923, ndlr) circulent largement et sont l’objet d’un transfert culturel qui assoit des valeurs affectives et traditionnelles. Cet imaginaire culturel français prime sur les enjeux réalistes comme le signale Zhu Qi, en affirmant que, dans la réception de ces œuvres, « le romantisme l’emporte sur le réalisme ».

Les tableaux successifs qui composent les spectacles musicaux français campent les lieux communs de la famille, de l’amitié et de l’amour inconditionnel, reçus en Asie comme l’expression de valeurs traditionnelles et appréhendées avec la facilité de lecture d’un livre d’images. Donnant volontiers dans l’imagerie kitsch, ces shows drapent les grandes figures du romantisme de glamour romanesque, sur fond de lyrisme édulcoré.

À la suite des musicals de Broadway adaptés en Asie, le spectacle français y rencontre désormais son public, peut-être plus qu’ailleurs, et devient un modèle de création à l’image des opéras européens, qui y sont importés depuis longtemps.

Bernard Jeannot-Guerin ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.

– ref. Le fabuleux destin des comédies musicales françaises sur le continent asiatique – https://theconversation.com/le-fabuleux-destin-des-comedies-musicales-francaises-sur-le-continent-asiatique-267658

October 25, 2025

Le prix Nobel d’économie 2025 met à l’honneur la création et la destruction économique

Source: The Conversation – in French – By John Hawkins, Head, Canberra School of Government, University of Canberra

Les économistes Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion et Peter Howitt. Niklas Elmehed © Nobel Prize Outreach

Les travaux de Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion et Peter Howitt portent sur les facteurs qui stimulent la croissance économique, et le rôle joué par l’innovation scientifique dans la naissance et la disparition d’entreprises.

Trois économistes, créateurs d’un modèle de croissance endogène, ont remporté cette année le prix de la Banque de Suède en sciences économiques en mémoire d’Alfred Nobel.

La moitié du prix de 11 millions de couronnes suédoises (environ 1,01 million d’euros) a été attribuée à Joel Mokyr, un historien de l’économie d’origine néerlandaise de l’Université Northwestern (Illinois).

L’autre moitié a été attribuée conjointement à Philippe Aghion, économiste français au Collège de France et à l’Insead, et à Peter Howitt, économiste canadien à l’Université Brown (Rhode Island).

Collectivement, leurs travaux ont porté sur l’importance de l’innovation dans la stimulation d’une croissance économique durable. Ils mettent en évidence un principe : dans une économie florissante, les vieilles entreprises meurent au moment même où de nouvelles entreprises naissent.

L’innovation, moteur d’une croissance durable

Comme l’a noté l’Académie royale des sciences de Suède, la croissance économique a sorti des milliards de personnes de la pauvreté au cours des deux derniers siècles. Bien que nous considérions cela normal, c’est en fait très inhabituel dans l’histoire de l’humanité. La période qui s’est écoulée depuis 1800 est la première dotée d’une croissance économique durable. Attention à ne pas prendre cela pour acquis. Une mauvaise politique pourrait voir nos économies stagner de nouveau.

L’un des jurés du prix Nobel a donné les exemples de la Suède et du Royaume-Uni où il y eut peu d’amélioration du niveau de vie entre 1300 et 1700, soit durant quatre siècles.

Les travaux de Joel Mokyr ont montré qu’avant la révolution industrielle, les innovations sont davantage une question d’essais et d’erreurs qu’une réelle compréhension scientifique. L’historien de l’économie fait valoir qu’une croissance économique durable n’émergerait pas dans

« un monde d’ingénierie sans mécanique, de sidérurgie sans métallurgie, d’agriculture sans science du sol, d’exploitation minière sans géologie, d’énergie hydraulique sans hydraulique, de teinturerie sans chimie organique et de pratique médicale sans microbiologie et immunologie ».

Joel Mokyr donne l’exemple de la stérilisation des instruments chirurgicaux, préconisée dans les années 1840. Les chirurgiens furent offensés par la seule suggestion qu’ils pourraient transmettre des maladies. Ce n’est qu’après les travaux de Louis Pasteur et de Joseph Lister, dans les années 1860, que le rôle des germes a été compris et que la stérilisation est devenue courante.

Le chercheur américano-israélien montre l’importance pour la société d’être ouverte aux nouvelles idées. Comme l’a souligné le comité Nobel :

« Des praticiens prêts à s’engager dans la science ainsi qu’un climat sociétal propice au changement étaient, selon Mokyr, les principales raisons pour lesquelles la révolution industrielle a commencé en Grande-Bretagne. ».

Gagnants et perdants

Les deux autres lauréats de cette année, Philippe Aghion et Peter Howitt, mettent en évidence que les innovations créent à la fois des entreprises gagnantes et perdantes.

Aux États-Unis, environ 10 % des entreprises sont créées et 10 % mettent la clé sous la porte, chaque année. Pour promouvoir la croissance économique, il faut comprendre ces deux processus.

Leur article scientifique de 1992 s’appuyait sur des travaux antérieurs sur le concept de « croissance endogène » – l’idée que la croissance économique est générée par des facteurs à l’intérieur d’un système économique, et non par des forces qui empiètent de l’extérieur. Cela a valu un prix Nobel à Paul Romer en 2018.

Leurs travaux se sont également appuyés sur les recherches antérieures sur « la destruction créatrice » menées par Joseph Schumpeter.

Le modèle créé par Philippe Aghion et Peter Howitt implique que les gouvernements doivent faire attention à la façon dont ils conçoivent les subventions pour encourager l’innovation. Si les entreprises pensent que toute innovation dans laquelle elles investissent va simplement être dépassée (ce qui signifie qu’elles perdraient leur avantage), elles n’investiront pas autant dans l’innovation.

Leur travail appuie également l’idée que les gouvernements ont un rôle à jouer dans le soutien et la reconversion des travailleurs qui perdent leur emploi dans des entreprises qui sont évincées par des concurrents plus innovants. Cela permettra également de renforcer le soutien politique aux politiques qui encouragent la croissance économique.

« Nuages noirs » à l’horizon ?

Les trois lauréats sont tous en faveur de la croissance économique, contrairement aux inquiétudes grandissantes concernant l’impact d’une croissance sans fin sur la planète.

Dans un entretien accordé après l’annonce du prix, cependant, Philippe Aghion a appelé à ce que la tarification du carbone rende la croissance économique compatible avec la réduction des émissions de gaz à effet de serre.

Il met également en garde contre l’accumulation des « nuages sombres » de droits de douane qui s’amoncellent à l’horizon. La création d’obstacles au commerce pourrait réduire la croissance économique, selon le chercheur français, ajoutant que nous devons nous assurer que les innovateurs d’aujourd’hui n’étouffent pas les innovateurs de demain par des pratiques anticoncurrentielles.

Rachel Griffith oubliée

Le prix d’économie n’était pas l’un des cinq initialement prévus dans le testament du chimiste suédois Alfred Nobel en 1895. Il s’appelle officiellement le prix Sveriges Riksbank en sciences économiques en mémoire d’Alfred Nobel. Il a été décerné pour la première fois en 1969. Ce prix décerné à Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion et Peter Howitt s’inscrit dans la tendance qui voit l’attribution de ces récompenses dominée par des chercheurs travaillant dans des universités états-uniennes.

Cela perpétue également le schéma de surreprésentation masculine. Seuls 3 des 99 lauréats en économie sont des femmes.

On aurait pu imaginer que la professeure d’économie Rachel Griffith, plutôt que Joel Mokyr, partagerait le prix avec Philippe Aghion et Peter Howitt cette année. Puisqu’en effet, Griffith a co-écrit l’ouvrage Competition and Growth avec Philippe Aghion et co-écrit un article sur la concurrence avec ses deux coreligionnaires.

John Hawkins ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.

– ref. Le prix Nobel d’économie 2025 met à l’honneur la création et la destruction économique – https://theconversation.com/le-prix-nobel-deconomie-2025-met-a-lhonneur-la-creation-et-la-destruction-economique-268232