Paper short abstract:

Invented in the early XXth century in the south of France, pétanque is practiced in the streets of New York City since the 1970s. This paper presents the differents motivations of players of highly different origins (French people with dual nationality, expatriates - « expats », French speaking African, "American"), driven by specific goals and imagination.

Paper long abstract:

Petanque is an emblematic bowl game of Provence, invented in early XXth century in the south of France by the « longue » players, who decided to stay ped tanco (which means « fixed feet » in provençal language), hence the word pétanque. More accessible, this variant of the traditional game was an immediate success. In 2008, 81 national federations were bringing 566 734 licensed people together all over the world (the half being french). In several decades, the success of Petanque widely crossed the European and Mediterranean borders and is now an international phenomenon. Contrary to the first sight, made of jokes and derision as a strong art of living, found in « mythical » writings, songs and movies, petanque (as well as all sports and games) is an extremely serious social practice. This Mediterranean art of living and its gaming rules were spread in the same time, as shown by the Bastille Day Tournament organized in numerous American towns, especially in New York, where some streets of Brooklyn and Manhattan are turned into meridional areas, fragrant with « merguez » sausages, and supplied with pastis and rosé wine (tons of sand are dumped for this occasion). This paper presents the differents motivations of players of highly different origins (French people with dual nationality, expatriates - « expats », French speaking African, "American"), driven by specific goals and imagination.