The making of the coastal concession apparatus: a sociohistorical study of Pampelonne Beach (France, 1920s–1970s)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21669/tomo.v44.22700Keywords:
Beach, Concession, Environment, Inequality, ShorelineAbstract
This article examines the sociohistorical emergence of the concession apparatus at Pampelonne Beach (1920s–1970s), a landmark site on the French Riviera. Drawing on archival research, we analyze how a previously unregulated shoreline was gradually transformed into a (at times contested) commercialized recreational space through negotiations among state authorities, local actors, and private managers. While not conferring private property rights, state-issued concessions authorize commercial operators to temporarily exploit beach segments by installing physical amenities on the sand. Operating at the nexus of public ownership and private exploitation, the concession apparatus created a quasi-privatization, segmenting beachgoers between affluent clientele and ordinary users, while generating substantial profits for private operators and public authorities. Illustrating the spatial and social consequences of coastal capitalism, the case of Pampelonne highlights how recreational nature is constructed as a commodity, deepening social and ecological inequalities on the Mediterranean shoreline.
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References
ARCHIVAL SOURCES
NA = National Archives, Pierrefitte. DAV = Departmental Archives of Var, Draguignan. CAR = Communal Archives, Ramatuelle. FIA = French Institute of Architecture, Paris. PA = Private Archives.
Deliberations of the Municipal Council of Ramatuelle, session of February 20th, 1964 [CAR 2W2].
Deliberations of the municipal council of Ramatuelle, sessions of October 17th, 1929 and April 27th, 1930 [CAR, 2W 1 D 10].
Draft text establishing the status of the profession of operators of bathing establishments”, December 9th, 1960 [NA 19920097/65].
Extract from the note of the Director General of Taxes (Domain service) to the Minister of Public Works, Transport and Tourism about the rental of the right to exploit beaches, July 21st, 1958 [NA 19920097/65].
Letter addressed to the mayor of Ramatuelle, August 27th, 1967 [CAR 6W 23/2].
Letter addressed to the mayor of Ramatuelle, October 1965 [CAR – n.c.].
Letters from beach operators, December 1964 and February 1966 [CAR 6W 23/2].
Letter from the Minister of Public Works, Posts and Telegraphs to the Chief Engineer the department of civil engineering [Ponts et Chaussées], December 30th, 1912 [NA, 19920097/65].
Letter from the prefect of Var to the mayor of Gassin, December 11th, 1925. [DAV, 4S 7-11].
Letter from the Préfet of Var, T. Barnier, to the mayors of the Var coast, February 27th, 1922. [FIA, 343 AA 4/6].
Ministry of Equipment and Housing (Directorate of Maritime Ports and Waterways), the Ministry of Economy and Finance (General Directorate of Taxes, Department of Land and Domain Affairs), to Prefects, “Subject: concession of a natural beach to a municipality, to a syndicate of municipalities or to a department”, June 1st, 1972 [CAR 2W2].
Municipal Council of Ramatuelle, sessions of January 21st, 1966 and January 12th, 1967 [CAR 2W2].
Municipal council of Ramatuelle, Extraordinary session on March 19th, 1922, and session of October 17th, 1929 [CAR, 2W 1 D 10].
Note sur l’adjudication des plages, n.d. [1956] [NA 19920097/65].
Note sur les problèmes posés par les locations et concessions de plages, n.d. [1959] [NA 19920097/65].
Programme de l’aménagement de la presqu’île tropézienne, Department of Var, n.d. [1931] [CAR, 3D series].
Raphaël Albert, Mayor for thirty years (1971-2001) [provisional title], unpublished typescript [PA].
Syndicate of coastal municipalities for the protection, development and enhancement of the Var Côte d’Azur, Bulletin no. 1, Draguignan, Olivier-Joulian Print., 1923. [FIA, 343 AA 4/6].
OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS AND LEGISLATION
Circular n. 72-86 of June 1st, 1972 relating to the concession of natural beaches to a municipality, to a syndicate of municipalities or to a department (“Specifications”). Internal document, restricted access.
Rapport de présentation du SCOT du Golfe de Saint-Tropez, t. 1 (Le diagnostic territorial), n. 2019/10/02-06, October 2019. Available on: https://www.golfe-sainttropez.fr/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/11/RP_TOME1_Diagnostic_Territorial_Approuv.pdf. Accessed on: 30 nov. 2025.
NEWSPAPER AND PERIODICAL ARTICLES
Accessed via: Dossier de presse « Domaine public » (t. 1, n. 117, 1956-2005), Fondation nationale des sciences politiques (FNSP), Paris.
Deux objectifs pour la commission d’aménagement du littoral, Les Échos, June 8th, 1967.
La ‘guerre des plages’ à Saint-Raphaël, Le Monde, August 27th, 1965.
LE GOFF, J.-P., La guerre des plages doit être gagnée, Témoignage chrétien, September 2nd, 1965.
Les plagistes demandent un statut, Le Monde, October 23rd, 1972.
Plages privées: nouvelle réglementation mise au point cet hiver, Combat, July 30th, 1971.
SIMON, J.-F., Des touristes manifestent contre l’accaparement des plages, Le Monde, August 19th, 1965.
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