Theories of elite and domination
This part of my activity consists of theoretical research on the notions of "elite", "domination" and "power". Far from proposing a new definition, my work consists of doing its genealogy and showing how these concepts are produced and used with the aim of describing an ideal social order. Thus, the thought of the elite and domination, developed in Europe in the 19th century, is opposed to the theory of elites and power proposed by American sociology of the mid-20th century. The first considers that society must be led by a minority of individuals selected for their talents, their intelligence and their virtue while the second considers that no individual can command another, except by a voluntary act, and often contractual, of consent. It follows two radically opposed ways of justifying and producing the social order: one led by "the top", where the elite is necessarily legitimate, the other driven by "the bottom", where the elites are always suspicious.
VSThese ideas, however, do not remain dead letters. They shape the world they claim to describe. In this sense, sociologists bear a responsibility, of which they are not always aware, which is to construct legitimate representations of the social world.
Res Gestae Divi Augusti
Fragments of the will of Emperor Augustus in which he recalls the facts and gestures of his life. We can consider this text as the founding act of Western theories of authority and the foundations of its legitimacy.
Works
Business networks in France
Polytechnicians and the State
Thinking about imperialism from field theory
