Martinique : entre pilotage académique et impulsion territoriale

Abstract

This chapter examines Martinique as a territory where territorial impetus (local authorities, ecosystems, partnerships) coexists with academic governance still structured by institutional norms and timeframes. It highlights the pivotal role of the University of the French West Indies in entrepreneurial support and the diversity of student aspirations in the face of social and professional constraints. The analysis reveals the predominance of vertical transmission styles, which can standardize projects and inhibit initiative, but also the existence of areas of hybridization where constraint becomes a resource. The chapter discusses the opposition between imitation and innovation: dominant innovation models can produce mimicry, while situated innovation emerges when project leaders combine local roots, relational resources, and pragmatic adjustments. The observed forms of student innovation—imitation, hybridization, and invention—invite us to rethink the criteria for project legitimacy and the modalities of institutional recognition.