L’économie circulaire comme utopie rationnelle. De la fiction à sa performation

The circular economy, a concept with utopian resonances, arouses strong enthusiasm from public and private organizations. In this article, we show that, on the one hand, this success is due to the indeterminate and ecumenical character of an attractive and mobilizing rational utopia built around the circular economy, and on the other hand, that this success is only apparent insofar as this rational utopia leaves several blind spots in the shadows relating to the conduct of collective action. In this perspective, we oppose a surface performation at the level of speeches and commitments to a deep performation, capable of transforming operational practices. We show that a deep performation of the utopian narrative of the circular economy requires the activation of specific levers and the deployment of sociotechnical and managerial mechanisms to guide and structure collective action.