Inhabitant Polarities in Small Cities. The Example of Cinema in the Brest and Nantes Saint-Nazaire RegionsThis article focuses on the concrete polarities practiced on a daily basis in the peri-urban territories and their small towns, in the Pays de Brest and in the Nantes Saint-Nazaire area. For this purpose, an ethnographic approach is privileged, combining interviews and observations. Rather than focusing solely on the center/periphery duality, the analysis delves into the multiplicity of places and their interconnectedness. We will see how the inhabitants’ practices intersect with these diverse, intertwined places, taking into account their different scales. On particular interest will be the cinema, which seems to be an important cultural polarity for the inhabitants of peri-urban territories. Being at the same time a building, an activity, a place, and considered as a “popular art”, the cinema seems an opportune place to tell the story of culture in these areas. Depending on its programming and location, it will draw different audiences. We will also show how practices and representations related to cinema can contribute to redefining territories in relation to each other, from small towns to metropolises.