Social exclusion, creative writing, and democracy: the politics of a socio-literary project in Caen

This article examines a creative-writing project involving a group of unemployed and precariously employed people in Caen in 2005-2006, along with the book and performances that emerged from it (2007-2010). It situates this publicly funded project in relation to debates about French cultural policy and its role in what has become known in France as the fight against social exclusion. Taking as its starting point Jacques Rancière's critique of this type of socio-cultural activism, the article reads the project in the light of his political writings. Indeed, the socio-literary practice of Philippe Ripoll, who led the workshop, appears to be shaped in part by Rancière's philosophy. An analysis of this practice and of the views of participants in the Caen project serves to highlight both the political force and the limitations of Rancière's position