The french green activists, experts in action The members of the French Green associations, like those of European and North American movements, are well-educated and belong to the upper and middle classes. They can be defined as an "epistemic community", using their intellectual skills as a resource, exploiting scientific discourse and evidence and undertaking sophisticated forms of collective action which exploit science, the law and the media. When we consider the trajectories of Green activists, through a study of the ways in which they represent themselves, a common theme emerges : the weight accorded to "experts" in militant associations. However, an analysis at the microsocial level of the background, trajectory and activities (political, associational or religious) of these acti­vists reveals differences which make the appearance of the "expert-activist" a more complex phenomenon than might appear at first. Three distinct types of trajectory —political, scientific and reactive — can help to account for the internal disputes which mark the Green movement. Another factor is the gap which separates two generations of activists : we identify two types of activism linked to two historical stages - the activism of the 1970s, and the increasing profes­sionalism of the 1990s. Where the "Founding Fathers" of the Green movement in France deve­loped their own forms of expertise, the militants of the new generation must have a proper aca­demic background if they are to become Green experts-activists. External constraints have had a powerful effect in turning simple activism into professional expertise.

Les écologistes français, des experts en action", in N.Mayer, O.Fillieule (dir) Carrières militantes, Revue française de Science Politique, vol.51, n°1-2, février-avril, p.105-130