République Autonome du Bocage

= a French community collective based in the Bocage Ornais region of Normandy. Founded as an "imaginary object", the RAB organizes an annual week-long "science-fiction" festival

URL = : https://la-rab.net/

Description

From DeepSeek, prompted by Michel Bauwens:

"The République Autonome du Bocage (RAB) is a French community collective based in the Bocage Ornais region of Normandy. Founded as an "imaginary object", the RAB organizes an annual week-long "science-fiction" festival—the Rencontres science-fiction de la République Autonome du Bocage—designed as a collective exploration of desirable futures for the territory. Since its first edition in 2022, the festival has brought together inhabitants, local organisations, and broader networks to prototype local futures through participatory workshops, role-playing games, and open forums.

History

The RAB emerged in the early 2020s in the Pays du Bocage Ornais, a rural area characterised by its distinctive hedgerow landscape (bocage). The collective was consciously created as a "fictional republic"—a playful yet serious framework to federate local residents around shared perspectives for the territory, in response to a global climate that is "anxiogène" (anxiety-provoking). The first festival took place in 2022, with subsequent editions held annually in late January.

Events

The Rencontres science-fiction Festival

The RAB's primary activity is its annual science-fiction festival, typically lasting one week around late January. The 2026 edition, for instance, ran from 26 January to 1 February.

Discussion

Reruralization aspects

The RAB's reruralization dynamic is one of the most interesting aspects of the project, though it's often implicit in their actions rather than explicitly stated. The group embodies a form of "arrival" and re-rooting that is central to contemporary rural revitalization.

• Reruralization and the Arrival of "Newcomers"

The RAB fits the pattern of a "néorural" initiative, where people from outside—often urban, educated, and with professional backgrounds—choose to settle in a rural area and become active agents of local transformation.

External Origins and Professional Backgrounds: The group's composition reflects this. For instance, Maryane Cordevant, an organizer, is an IT specialist from Alençon working for an international NGO. This profile (tech-savvy, globally-minded, choosing rural life) is a hallmark of the new rural gentry.

Bringing Global Perspectives to Local Issues: The RAB's method is to use these external experiences as a lens for local action. During a workshop, Maryane proposed a project on vegetable dyeing, an activity she discovered while traveling in New Zealand. This shows how they synthesize global ideas into local, tangible projects.

Rurality as a Core Theme: The RAB’s work is deeply rooted in the physical reality of the bocage. A recurring workshop, "Bocage : tout reprendre à zéro" (Bocage: starting over from scratch), directly engages with the landscape. This isn't abstract theory; it involves a "sensory walk" followed by the "planting of a charmille" (a type of hornbeam hedge) to repair a communal orchard hedge. This is reruralization in practice: understanding, repairing, and actively cultivating the local rural landscape.

• The Role of Local Mayors

The relationship between the RAB and local elected officials appears to be one of mutual support and collaboration rather than top-down encouragement.

Anchoring in a Specific Village: The RAB's activities are often centered on Sainte-Honorine-la-Guillaume. This isn't random; it's a deliberate choice to root the project in a specific community.

Receptivity from Local Authorities: The fact that the festival is held in the village hall (salle des fêtes) indicates the local municipality's support. The local mayor, Serge Clérembaux (who was mayor for forty years until 2020), and the current mayor, Pierre Madeline, would have been key in granting access to these public spaces, suggesting a positive and collaborative relationship. The RAB is a project "implanted in the vicinity of the Pays du Bocage Ornais", which implies they are building local roots with the blessing of local authorities.

A Symbiotic Relationship: The RAB brings energy, new ideas, and a public to a rural village, helping to combat isolation and demographic decline. In return, the municipality provides legitimacy, space, and local connections. This is a classic model of successful reruralization, where newcomers and long-term residents find common ground.