Industrial Evolution - Exhibition Journal

Revolution or industrial evolution? Conceived as a souvenir of the exhibition, this paper deconstructs the commonly accepted notion of an "Industrial Revolution" whose origins go back to James Watt's steam engine in 1769. If we look closely, the research of historians and specialists leads us to privilege "industrial evolutions". Industrialization is a slow phenomenon, which began well before the 18th century and is not tied to a particular territory.

Three experts in history, physics, sociology and economics, as well as the curator of the exhibition, question the collective narrative of "The Industrial Revolution", in a synthetic way and through a series of focuses on emblematic characters and places of the phenomenon. They open an original reflection on the process of industrialization, through the prism of our relationship to technical objects, to work and to discourse. In our new hyper-industrial world, the time has come to deconstruct a myth.

The Authors

Liliane Hilaire-Pérez is a professor of modern history at the Université Paris Cité and director of studies at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS). Her research interests focus on the history of technical knowledge, markets and business in modern Europe. She has notably published L'Invention technique au siècle des Lumières (Albin Michel, 2000) and La Pièce et le geste. Artisans, merchants and technical knowledge in eighteenth-century London (Albin Michel, 2013).

Astrid Fontaine is curator of the exhibition "Industrial Evolutions".

Thierry Weil is a professor at Mines-Paris (PSL) and a member of the Académie des
Academy of Technologies, he studies innovation management
He studies the management of innovation, policies in favor of industry, and the transformation of work. He holds the chair for the Future of Industry and Work. He wrote Au-delà de l'entreprise libérée (Presses des Mines, 2020) and participated in the coordination of the books Le Travail en
mouvement (Presses des Mines, 2019) and L'Industrie, notre avenir (Eyrolles, 2015).

Pierre Veltz is an engineer by training. He then turned to
sociology and economics, focusing in particular on changes in the industrial world, in relation to territories and the ecological challenge. His books include La Société hyper-industrielle (Seuil, 2017) and L'Économie désirable. Sortir
du monde thermo-fossile (Seuil, 2021). He is a member of the Académie des Technologies.