Transforming the system to face grand challenges by experimenting with "pragmatic" utopias: the case of the "Zero Long-Term Unemployment Territories"[Transformer le système face aux grands challenges par l'expérimentation d'utopies « pragmatiques » : le cas des Territoires Zéro Chômeurs Longue Durée]

At a time when the societal challenges described by the notion of 'grand challenges' call for a radical rethinking of organised collective action, the literature is still struggling to generate normative practices and modes of action that lead to system transformation. This article draws on the perspective of transformative social innovation to define 'pragmatic utopia' as collective action that consists of experimenting with a utopia while transforming the system in an iterative and multivocal way. We study the case of the Territoire Zéro Chômeur de Longue Durée experiment as a pragmatic utopia aimed at eradicating unemployment through a radically different approach to employment. Our analysis shows that the ability of such a utopia to challenge the system and lay the foundations for a more structural transformation depends on the ability of the actors involved to manage the tensions arising from the complex, uncertain and evaluative nature of the major challenge being addressed.