Zoé Boucherie

Please tell us about your research project.

I am currently in the third year of my PhD in sociology at Paris-Saclay University. My research intersects environmental sociology, elite studies, and the sociology of lifestyles. I investigate the ecological transformation of lifestyles among affluent French households, with a particular focus on how social class and gender shape environmental attitudes and practices. My dissertation examines how upper-class families appropriate, negotiate, or resist eco-citizenship norms, and how they adapt their consumption practices in response to environmental concerns. I am especially interested in the ways in which environmental imperatives are integrated into the moral economy of privilege. I also study the paradox between discourses that emphasise moderation and individual responsibility, and actual consumption practices that remain highly resource-intensive. More broadly, my work explores how ecology is politicised by the wealthiest social groups, and how environmental issues are reframed through their values and positions of power. Drawing on a mixed-methods approach, I combine in-depth qualitative interviews with quantitative analyses of large-scale survey data. This allows me to connect individual representations and practices to broader structural patterns in environmental attitudes.

Could you please tell us a bit more about your scholarship/exchange programme?

I have been granted a research scholarship from Sciences Po Saint-Germain-en-Laye for a period of one month. During this period, I will work on writing my doctoral dissertation and developing an article based on my ongoing research on environmental attitudes and the moral economy of the upper-classes. I also intend to take advantage of Oxford’s vibrant academic environment by attending seminars and meeting researchers in the social sciences whose work focuses on climate change attitudes and elite studies. 

First impressions of Oxford/the University?

Oxford's atmosphere is calm, peaceful, and highly conducive to academic work. I particularly enjoy the many libraries that make studying both productive and enjoyable. The only piece of advice I would give to future residents is simple: never forget your umbrella!