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

1.1.1.2 Construction symbolic system of the origin

In 1997, whereas the monetary crisis and financial part of Thailand is propagated in all the Southeast Asia, Igniacio Ramonet signs in the Diplomatic World of December a leading article entitled « To disarm the markets »^70(*). In that Ci, Ramonet condemns the financial universalization led by four international economic institutions which «speak with one voice [...] for exalter «virtues of the market » » : The International Monetary International Monetary Funds (the IMF), the World Bank, the World Organization of Trade (OMC) and the Organization for the co-operation and the economic development (OECD). In order to stop the drifts of the financial speculation, it proposes to found a tax on the financial incomes : the Tobin tax (of the name of an American economist which made the proposal in 1972 of it). In order to set up this one, it finishes the leading article by a proposal : « Why not create, on the planetary scale, the not-governmental organization of Action for a Tobin tax of assistance to the Attac citizens. As connection with the trade unions, associations with cultural, social or ecological purpose, it could act like a formidable civic special interest group near the governments to push them to claim, finally, implementation the effective of this world tax of solidarity «. This proposal met a favorable echo near many readers and was taken again by other media. Letters of support arrived: individual mails, letters of associations, trade unions, newspapers, all loans to support this initiative. The drafting of the Diplomatic World, in collaboration with the publications Charlie Hebdo, Politis and Transversales, organized in March 1998 a first meeting in Paris. Association Attac (Action for a Tax Tobin d' Aide with the Citizens) was created on June 3, 1998^71(*) around a collective of publications, trade unions and associations. With this occasion, the first structures were installation: a Board of directors, a provisional office as well as the scientific Council.

Thus is presented the constitution of Attac in the official documents of association^72(*) and it is also as well as the press in returned account^73(*). The leading article of Ramonet is proposed as being the origin of Attac. It is qualified, a posteriori, of «call »^74(*). It is about a very connoted term since he returns to the movements of popular resistance like «the call of 18 June» launched by Gaulle. This leading article also constitutes a common reference in the militant culture of Attac. Much of inquired evokes it spontaneously, concerning the Diplomatic World. It would be the starting point of association and would have caused at many readers a start « citizen » which would have led them to engage. It was the case for example of Lionel which was since the Eighties in a phase of « sleep » militant. The reading of the leading article had on him a very strong impact. It qualifies its reaction of « awakening or of meeting with something ». This article thus had on the engagement of Lionel, which adhered one month after the creation of Attac, a very important role.

However, the others inquired acknowledg not to have read the leading article during its publication and those which traversed it did not react to its reading. It is astonishing that the article of Ramonet is presented like the starting point, not only of association, but also of the engagement of the militants whereas it had very few consequences on the members. The booklets of Attac commemorate this date symbolic system of December 1997 like a reference impossible to circumvent of association. This presentation is connected with a work of symbolization. It is a question of making leading article of the diplomatic World a reference in the militant culture of Attacants. If it seems a symbol of the foundation of Attac, which is worth in Ramonet to be regarded as the spiritual father of Attac, it is not as well by the effective repercussions as it had on the engagement of the militants than because it was built as tel.^75(*) It appears as the starting point of which all left but also like a reference within the collective memory association.

The narration of the launching of association is connected with a myth which is not easily credible. How to explain that the name of association appeared already in the leading article ? How to return account owing to the fact that a consequent number of associations immediately joined with this proposal ? It is probable that the project of this association was former to the leading article. Preparatory meetings probably had to take place between the persons in charge for several organizations. It is dangerous to speculate in the origin of association, but it would be naive to adopt the idea that a leading article can launch an as well structured association as Attac.

The birth of association thus concerns primarily the symbolic system. It was put in scene by a whole of processes aiming at conferring a dash on its launching. The spontaneousness and the innovation which were allotted at the origin of Attac from now on will seem the specific qualities of the movement. These attributes are prolonged in the presentation which is made association.

F.E : Are you a reader of the Diplomatic World?

Lionel : Yes, moreover I had read the leading article of Ramonet and it had a very strong impact on me. It was very in connection with many questions that I was posed then. Its reading was something of... very emotional for me! That was a little like a meeting or awakening with something, something of very extremely.

F.E : There had been a édito of Ramonet which had been rather known «to disarm the financial markets», you had read it?

François: Yes I had read that... But good...

Thomas: I had read the édito of Ramonet but I had not reacted more than that and it is after by hearing people speak and by seeing that many people reacted compared to that... If not I left a little cast time and after I took my adhesion in 1998.

Julie : I read the Diplomatic World from time to time and I intended some to speak like everyone in the Diplomatic World, I know that there had been the declaration... finally the article of Ramonet but I had not read it because I did not read it regularly.

* ⁷⁰ Cf, Igniacio Ramonet «  To disarm the markets  », The Diplomatic World, December 1997, p.1. Cf, appendix n°10, p.26.

* ⁷¹ Cf, «  Attac, it left  !  », The Diplomatic World, July 1998, p.2.

* ⁷² Cf, Attac, «  At the beginning a leading article  », All on Attac, p.10.

* ⁷³ One can read in the World one month before the creation of Attac  : «  All alone, or almost, the machine packed. It A is enough that, at the end of a leading article of the Diplomatic World, Igniacio Ramonet evokes the idea of a nongovernmental organization [...] so that readers of this monthly magazine in full expansion [...] are filled with enthusiasm. Letters by «thousands  », accounts - substantial checks, establishment of local committees  : the surprise is enormous, tells the director of the Diplomatic World.  » in Way (ARIANE), Mauduit (Laurent), «  The partisans of a tax on the financial transactions pass to  «  Attac  »  », the World, 8/05/1998, p.6.

* ⁷⁴ Its text is equipped with a strong share symbolic system which makes of him a «call  ». For example, the semantic field of the democracy and the citizenship is very present  in the text. It opposes a dépréciatif lexicon thus evoking world finance («  the generalized insecurity  », it «  jungle or the predatory ones will make the law  », «  the intolerable one  ») with a speech which is attached to a whole of values «  morals  » («  the exercise of the democracy  », them «  guarantors of the common good  », one «  major civic building site  », one «  minimal democratic requirement  », one «  world tax of solidarity  »).

* ⁷⁵ This mythification of the origin of association is reinforced, as we will see it, by the fact that association knew a very fast progression of its members.