Les Voix de la Vallée

Michel Lussault and Monsef Benkirane

Circulations of the living in a globalized world: impossible migrations and pandemics

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About the night class

As part of the exhibition The Valley by Fabrice Hyber, the Fondation Cartier invites Michel Lussault, geographer, and Monsef Benkirane, researcher in molecular virology. Within the exhibition spaces, the two guest speakers discuss the hypotheses proposed by Fabrice Hyber in his paintings before a live audience.

Over the course of this evening, they will bring their disciplines together to explore questions relating to the dynamics involved in the displacement of people on the one hand, and viruses on the other. At a time when epidemics turn into pandemics, migrations remail difficult for humans despite living in a globalized world. Taking inspiration from Hyber’s works like Migration impossible, Nouveau Monde, and Muroute, their discussion will focus on the “circulations of the living in a globalized world: impossible migrations and pandemics”.

This live discussion will be broadcast simultaneously on the websites of the Fondation Cartier and *Duuu Radio, and in the form of podcasts via the main platforms.


With the participation of:

  • Picture © Melania Avanzato.
    Michel Lussault

    Michel Lussault, born in 1960, is a geographer and professor at the École Normale Supérieure in Lyon, as well as a member of the “Environment, Cities, Societies” research laboratory (UMR 5600 CNRS/Université de Lyon), and of the Labex IMU (Intelligence of Urban Worlds Laboratory of Excellence) at the Université de Lyon. In his work, he analyzes the modalities of the human habitation of terrestrial spaces based on the idea that the globalized urban Anthropocene constitutes the new habitat of reference for us all. His latest publications include Hyper-lieux. Les nouvelles géographies de la mondialisation (Seuil, 2017), Chroniques de géo’virale (Éditions 205, 2020), Néolitihique-Anthropocène. Dialogue autour des 13000 dernières années (with Valérie Disdier, Éditions 205, 2021).

  • Picture © D.R.
    Monsef Benkirane

    Monsef Benkirane is a director of research at the CNRS. He oversees the molecular virology laboratory at the Institut de Génétique Humaine (IGH) in Montpellier. His work revolves around deciphering the host/HIV interaction and understanding the viral reservoir in order to identify effective therapeutic strategies in the cure for HIV/AIDS. In 2010, a first “ERC Advanced” funding scheme enabled him to identify the SAMHD1 gene as a HIV-1 restriction factor in myeloid cells and quiescent CD4 T lymphocytes. His work has demonstrated a direct link between DNA repair proteins and the regulation of the innate immune response. More recently, his group identified CD32 as a HIV-1 reservoir marker.


Practical information

Additional information

Thursdays at 7pm.
Estimated duration: 1 hour.
Discussions in French.
Free seating within the limit of available spaces.
Access to the classroom where the evening class is held upon presentation of the exhibition ticket.
This ticket includes access to the evening class on the date chosen when booking, as well as entry to the exhibition that same day from 5pm.
The evening classes are broadcast live on the websites of the Fondation Cartier and *Duuu Radio, before being made available in the form of podcasts.
Latecomers will not be allowed access to the event so as not to disturb the speakers or interfere with the audio recording. We thank the audience in advance for their punctuality.

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