Working on rural gentrification in France with a quantitative approach: brakes and opportunities

International audienceDespite the emerging of the rural gentrification as a concept in the French rural studies, research and publications related to it are still very few (Raymond 2003, Perrenoud 2008, 2012, Richard et al. 2011, 2014). Logically, quantitative approaches of rural gentrification dynamics are even more infrequent (Pistre, 2012). This could lead to a kind of paradox. The French academic cultural context still valorises empirical (and statistical) evidence to legitimate new theories or concepts. But without legitimating the use of rural gentrification as a concept, geographers and sociologists may be hesitant or reluctant to engage with empirical research. This could unfortunately perpetuate the lack of statistical exploration about rural gentrification and stop the recognition of the rural gentrification as a relevant and helpful concept to understand the French countryside change.The aim of this paper is to contribute to this necessary collective effort of nourishing quantitative approach in France, in order to encourage empirical, theoretical, qualitative and quantitative rural gentrification studies in France and then to be able to launch cross national comparative studies. The paper will be organise in two steps. Firstly, we shall basically discuss methodological issues to draw both the limits and the potential of the national statistical database to address gentrification trends and forms : these issues concern the geography (limits) of the rural, scales of statistical treatments and reliability of census data in low density areas. Secondly, by relying on various census and other national data, we will submit few results from our statistical and mapping analyses for the whole of France and also for a few local fields