Freedom of speech stems from a liberating act, as the reactions of institutions and associations concerned attest. This excess, as ideological as it is verbal, should be measured against the progressive control of knowledge, moral standards and the censorial practices which defend them.

In 1791 Condorcet passionately defended "common education for both sexes in mixed schools" as a democratic measure - but his words fell on deaf ears. Nine decades later, the Republicans opted for single-sex schools when they created state secondary education for girls.

This volume is the result of a collaboration between Tunisian and French climatologists, hydrologists and biogeographers who have engaged in a dialogue from one shore of the Mediterranean to the other. In terms of content it concentrates on quantitative data and figures rather than Bachelard's cherished dream.