Natacha Gourland

Natacha Gourland is an Assistant Professor (Maître de Conférences) in Geography at the University of Evry-Val-d'Essonne since September 2024, affiliated with the IDHES laboratory (UMR 8533). Her research focuses on cultural and artistic practices, gender, the body, power relations, inequalities, and spaces described as 'margins' or 'peripheries,' including Parisian suburbs and French overseas territories. She explores how these spaces are experienced and represented.

Education and Positions: She holds a geography aggregation (ranked 6th in 2017) and completed a doctoral program at Université Paris Est (Lab'Urba), serving as a representative of doctoral students. Prior roles include contractual positions at the University of Cergy (PLACES lab) and Paris Est Créteil (Lab'Urba).

Research Interests: Her work bridges cultural geography and urban sociology, examining topics like classical dance practices in marginalized spaces, urban displacement in Togo, and the commodification of public spaces. Recent projects include the TEROM initiative on overseas media, with fieldwork in French Guiana and Réunion.

Publications: Her recent work includes studies on social media practices among dancers, transnational mobilities of racialized artists, and urban negotiations in Lomé, published in journals like Émulations and Urbanités.

• Awards: 2024 Valois Prize (Ministry of Culture), 2024 CNFG Thesis Prize
• Teaching: Courses include CAPES geography preparation, regional geography, and introductory courses at Evry.
• Labs/Teams: IDHES (Evry), Lab'Urba (Paris Est), and the TEROM project.