New aspects of geographical research : rupture or refinement of tradition ? French geography is becoming aware of forceful transformations known to foreign schools, and of producing its first works in quantitative and theoretical geography. These raise certain fears, and are sometimes considered as plain statistical refinements put to the service of classical research. On the contrary, we think that these attitudes imply an epistemological break-through, and are of greater consequences, at the moment, than efforts to enlarge the field of geography.La géographie française est en train de prendre conscience des puissantes transformations connues par les écoles étrangères, et de faire ses premiers travaux de géographie quantitative et théoriqu...