Adrien Doron

Thesis in geography

Defended on July 6, 2018

Tunisian trade routes : Post revolution geography of a network of globalized marketplaces under the supervision of Olivier Pliez

Abstract

This thesis examines the manufacture of globalized trade routes in Tunisia, based on the study of supplies to so-called "parallel" trade markets, set up at the outlets of transnational routes for the exchange of banal goods.

It begins by exploring the postulate of a reticular and labile organization of the transnational market economy in Tunisia. This network articulates marketplaces, notably those located in central Tunis and Ben Gardane, which form nodes of exchange born of local and territorialized processes. Using these places as a starting point, the thesis highlights the professional trajectories of the merchants, who were originally modest, and shows how they managed to develop their business relationships. The thesis thus uncovers a network of markets that structures transnational imports into the country, via its ports and border regions.

The thesis then examines the effects of the Tunisian revolution on this network of markets, particularly in terms of the ways in which goods flows bypass customs barriers. The political change that took place in 2011 revealed the implications of former President Ben Ali's regime for a market economy that was nonetheless presented as "parallel". What's more, under the impact of the regime's collapse, trading relationships, activities and routes are being recomposed, showing that "parallel trade" has become a governance issue in Tunisia in transition.

Finally, the thesis examines the formal analysis of these networks. The aim is to lay the foundations for a geography of social and spatial networks, by taking into account the social relations of actors in the structuring of trade relations, and identifying and analyzing market networks.

Publication