Where does it come from?

Surveying is, strictly speaking, the science of measuring land; it is one of the surveyor's areas of expertise. It allows one to measure its surface area. Derived from this practice, literary surveying adopts its principles. It is no longer a piece of land, but a document. A technique of reading together that comes to us from 19th-century working-class circles. Indeed, how can you pick up a book when you come home tired from your day's work? How can you analyze a subject and discover an author when you don't always have the time, the means, or the codes? Well, literary surveying responds to this thirst for knowledge, this desire to embrace complexity. An approach rooted in political commitment and critical thinking, often leading to a desire to transform the world and regain power over what is beyond us. For example, surveying reappeared during the Second World War in Resistance circles.

Survey what?

Explore in a small group the chosen book, known to be difficult to approach alone and without reading keys. We are not talking about the latest opus by Guillaume Musso or Marc Lévy... But rather the latest essay with a less obvious understanding, a " best sellers » on a movement of thought requiring mastery of a particular context or precise concepts, an autobiography, etc. Obviously, surveying is resurfacing even as the current era calls for political mobilizations.

How?

Each participant is assigned a section of the book to read aloud. Tradition dictates that a copy of the selected book is cut into several parts, then distributed within the group. A symbolic gesture that desacralizes the object. There's even talk of "stripping" the book. The same mindset applies before speaking: some sessions may involve a physical survey of the space, the meeting place. Through wandering, occupying the space. After the reading, several steps follow. The reel gives the floor in "popcorn," with immediate reactions preparing for the next step. The small group begins the "restitution." A time for discussion on the entire work where everyone can reformulate and give their opinion. But before sticking to a format, a method, or a standard, the survey must first be rooted in pleasure. That of conversation, encounter, and sharing. Surveying is defined as a collective and inclusive sharing of knowledge.

But where?

Beyond activist circles, museums, such as the Palais de Tokyo, regularly organize surveying sessions. Libraries, high schools, universities, and cultural spaces, too, such as the Maison des Métallos in Paris, also organize surveying sessions. The 8th arrondissement site has contributed to the revival of this practice among young people by hosting workshops from the network of associations on educational topics, "Peuple et Culture." This organization (Qualiopi certified) also offers an online calendar of surveying facilitation training sessions throughout France. The next dates in Paris are July 9 and XNUMX.