ARPL 2026 - Balades philo-patrimoine : le corps dans la ville

By Stéphane Marcireau and David Covelli (PAH Heritage Department, Pays de Langres)

Suitable for all ages › Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes › No booking required

These 1 hour 30 minute philosophy and heritage walks will be led by two speakers. A philosopher and a historian will share their perspectives to explore the role of the body in the city. The body forms a distinct ‘corpus’, a unique language that is omnipresent and speaks to us without us necessarily realising it. But for those who take the time to look and reflect, this language reveals its secrets. As we wander through the streets and squares, we shall explore the ‘body as devotion’ (Virgins, relics), the ‘body as protection’ (Virgins at the gates of the ramparts), the ‘body as memory ’ (Jeanne Mance, Diderot, Joan of Arc…), the ‘body-allegory’ (statues personifying the City, History, the Marne, the Church, the Synagogue, the Republic, Education…), the ‘body-of-the-disappeared’ (tombs, cemeteries, necropolises...). More light-hearted linguistic digressions — and perhaps even a few invigorating surprises — will enrich the stroll. For example, we shall discuss the ‘corps de ville’ (the local council), the ‘corps de place ’ (the city walls), the ‘corps de garde’ (guarding the entrance to a fortress) or even the ‘chef de corps’ (the commander of a unit).

Stéphane Marcireau is a graduate of Sup de Co Poitiers and a philosophy teacher. He is also the creator of a philosophical game called PhiloDéfi.