Preface:

This issue stems from a round table organised as part of the 100th birthday celebrations of the Institut de géographie alpine [Institute for Alpine Geography]. The symbolic nature of the centenary of this time-honoured institute, naturally led us to look back upon the past. But although a retrospective could be expected in this context, we did not want to leave it there. Rather, we wanted to move beyond a historical approach, and make it a starting point for an analysis of the conditions and ..