UN RENOUVEAU DE LA PARTICIPATION ASSOCIATIVE ? L'engagement et le militantisme au sein du comité Attac Isère

2.1.2.3 Values post-materialists with the catégoriels interests 

The new social movements, according to Alain Touraine, would be cultural movements. Thus, the stake of the social conflict would not be from now on more in the claim of tangible properties^419(*). This assumption approaches the positions formulated in 1977 by Ronald Inglehart, specialist in the analysis of the cultural changes and the values, in The silent Revolution^420(*). Inglehart shows that once its satisfied immediate material needs, the man turns his preferences towards nonmaterial needs of intellectual or esthetic nature, named values post-materialists^421(*). This evolution of the values, would in addition be reinforced by the modification of the conditions of existence (rise of, the development educational level of the communication of mass, absence of war in the Western world since more than thirty years, passage of a company of class to a complex stratification, etc). It would result from it a request increased from participation in the decision-making processes, a modification of the stakes « who come more differences between the life styles than of economic needs »^422(*) and finally a refusal of the traditional mediations with the capacity (political trade unions and parties). An empirical analysis enabled him into 1999 to confirm its thesis of a axiologic evolution^423(*). It observes, first of all, a passage of the traditional values related to the religion with the rational-legal and secular values. Then, it shows a second passage of the values of shortage and need to the values of car-realization, of expression and wellbeing.

The idea of a modification of the values gives an account of several phenomena in the engagement of surveyed. The valorization of the associative participation and the devalorization of the traditional forms of engagement would be explained, according to the theory of Inglehart, by the increase in population holding a political competence^424(*). What for the claims happenhappens defended by the militants?

Inquired present their engagement like the defense of certain values. Their adhesion corresponds, as Francois, explains it to a refusal of the economic liberalism. The defense of a more human economy is opposed to the liberal logic which would rest only on the accumulation of richnesses and the research of the profit. This « new economy » a reinforcement of the role would require which is granted to the service public. Cecile affirms besides that « We as Attac, we defend the public utility ! «. Inquired legitimate this public promotion of the service by the attachment with certain values such as solidarity. This report is in agreement with the assumption of Inglehart, according to which the values post-materialists would have become paramount. However, it is a question of distinguishing it « phraseology » of the militants, to paraphrase Marx^425(*), their interests true. Can one account for the engagement of surveyed by their only axiologic preferences ?

The defense of the public utility represents the valorization of certain values. However it can be justified by the defense of material interests. The public utility, it is before a whole whole of material services which are provided to the individuals. The character catégoriel of engagement within Attac must then be underlined. The on-representation of paid public office, and in particular of the teaching body, the bond between the conflicts of 1995 and the creation of Attac can let suppose that the claims supported by the militants are connected with interests of social groups. The reference to the values would be, consequently, only one rhetoric making it possible to legitimate the defense of catégoriels interests. This assumption remains fragile. On the other hand, it is probable that the engagement of surveyed either related to a whole of material claims. For example, the participation of association in the conflicts of company, the claim in favor of the income of existence express the persistence of social conflicts determined by the search for tangible properties. The paradigm of the post-materialism is not enough to give an account of that.

François : It is necessary to replace the images and to see what that implies, and one realizes that it is rather serious what one imposes to us and who where one wants to carry out us, it is a regression of civilization, one could say. What people call liberalism, ultraliberalism, all these terms which want to say about the same thing. Good, I think that it would be necessary to be little more rigorous than that, but I think that it is the current face of the capitalism, it is the same system which functions like that today and it is its form since the Seventies, therefore... Here, it is... It is, this company there which one wants to impose to us.

Cecile : One arrives at all the problems of the negotiation with the World Organization of the Trade which aims at the complete liberalization of all that can be sold and in particular services and the services it is education, it is health, it is water and it is already well started, electricity and it is already well privatisé and that is not yet completely done and thus one has the impression to be in a public utility and soon there will be no more public utility, i.e. the access of all to vital services [...] We as Attac, we defend the public utility. There are public services which require to be reformed but it is this concept that is with minima to give to all the accesses to essential services and that its life is not question that it is privatisé.

Laurent : And I think that Attac is from this point of view of recasting, but it should not be heard within the meaning of a revolution [...] It is an at the same time economic recasting and political bus [...] it seems to me that there is a strong opposition in this moment between the traditional liberal prospect and the European or social democrat prospect, they clash [...] I think that the public services are very attacked and at the same time they need to be defended but they need also to be refondé, one tends to say that a liberalized function is more effective and that it is a prospect typically for right-hand side. It was a speech very dominating. It is this logic which governed the definition of the rules of the economy which exist this moment, and Europe was often put in minority compared to the institutions like OMC. It seems to to me that European perception, that it is not dominant, it is minority. And even in the European countries had been called into question and the State moved back, it is not inevitably an evil. I think that Attac it is from this point of view that they advance, counters the Anglo-Saxon prospect. The liberal logic which do not want constraints and all that is imposition are refused. Bush refused the environmental constraints which aimed at reinforcing the control of the State. There are lines of fracture, capitalism against Communism, before it was Fascism against the democracy and in this moment it is that which is on the agenda [...] There are long-term investments which must be made and there are only the State and the public structures which can do it [...] The majority of the claims that Attac defends that register from this point of view of more than regulation, more State I am not sure, I do not know enough but it seems to to me that to assert a tax on the capital that goes in the direction of more than public intervention. Even those which are in a left ultra speech are for the public intervention. Thus overall it is a movement which goes in this direction, towards more public intervention [...] It seems to to me that the logic of funds which is upstream of the Tobin tax it is the prospect for the public utility and the regulation of the markets. An always liberal economy and always capitalist but with a social democrat option. It is more than one unit of claims it is also a prospect which goes in the direction of more than public intervention and after that necessarily passes by the very pragmatic and very concrete reforms.

Humane militancy « free » with the defense of catégoriels interests, the range of the reasons for engagement is vast. It is important to recall that it is impossible to include/understand the participation of Attacants only from one of these two models; logics which govern their engagements locate in an interval. However, the description of material interests leads us to wonder about the concrete gratifications which receive Attacants in return of their militance. Which are these remunerations which would justify, partly, the participation and the engagement of the militants ?

* ⁴¹⁹ Cf, Fillieule (Olivier), Péchu (Cecile), p. 149.

* ⁴²⁰ Inglehart (Ronald), The silent revolution. Changing Been worth and Political Public Styles among Western, Princeton, Princeton University Presses, 1977.

* ⁴²¹ Cf, Fillieule (Olivier), Péchu (Cecile), p.123-128. And Op.cit., Lafargue (Jerome), pp.49-50.

* ⁴²² Verba. S & Nye. NR. H, Participation in America  : Political democracy and Social Equality, New York, To grip and Row, 1972. City in op.cit., Fillieule (Olivier), Péchu (Cecile), p. 125.

* ⁴²³ The world Investigation into the values (World Been worth Surveys, WVS) which uses Inglehart relates to 61 countries distributed out of six continents. Cf, Inglehart (Ronald), «  Shock of the ages or cultural modernization of the world  ?  », The Debate, n°105, 1999, pp. 21-54.

* ⁴²⁴ This assumption is checked besides, partly, by the level of diploma which it is possible to note among the members of Attac. According to the study carried out by Thomas Marty while 11,1% of national P.A are equipped with a diploma higher than Bac+2, this same rate amounts to 73,1 among the people of the sample of the committee Attac Toulouse. Cf, Marty (Thomas), op.cit, p. 87.

* ⁴²⁵ Marx (Karl), 18 Brumaire of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, 1851, ED Social, 1969.