On the occasion of the story of the French sociologist and tourism expert Jean-Didier Urbain '' Sur la plage: Moeurs et coutumes balnéaires '' we examine issues of settlement and habitation of the coast, as well as rituals that lead the body to appropriate it. The coast is a landscape in constant transformation. Its transformation into a tourist destination has changed and continues to change its composition.
The research on the transformations that take place on the shore is organized into three sectionswith a chronological order. In the first part, an attempt is made to interpret the coast in the 19th century. The fear of the sea and the reasons that led to the appearance of humans on the shore. The second part concerns the coast and its transformation into a "beach" in the 20th century. The familiarity with the water, the first facilities, the evolution of the swimsuit and a reference to the Greek coastal locations. In the third and last part we are concerned with the coast of the 21st century. A coast that is very similar to the modern city. A coast, a place of infinite rituals.
The research question arises from the need to understand what the coastreallyis. What does a trip to the coast mean? How can we have a similar destination but not the same reasons for this trip?How can we interpret the relationship that has been established between the vacationer and the beach? What are these elements that transform the shore?
