Morlaix en Révolution (1789-1792) : Vers la recomposition sonore d’une cité portuaire

Between 1789 and 1792, the port city of Morlaix saw the soundscape of its environment transformed. The weakening of bell ringing, the gradual decline of its productive activity, and the rumbling of weapons slowly blurred the acoustic order inherited from sound the Ancien Régime. Based on the municipal archives of Morlaix, the departmental collections of Finistère, and the correspondence of administrators, this study distinguishes two periods: first, in 1789, a legacy balance in which parish bell ringing mingled with the sounds of labor; then, between 1790 and 1792, a new phase which, under the influence of local unrest and the looming war, imposed an urban instrumentarium intended to mobilize, discipline, and regenerate the social body. By combining political history, sound studies, and sensory anthropology, this research shows that the control of familiar sounds served as a tool for political and social regeneration. It thus highlights the audible dimension of the French Revolution and invites consideration of sound practices as drivers of political dynamics.