Michel Wieviorka
Encyclopedia
Michel Wieviorka is a French
sociologist
, noted for his work on violence
, terrorism
, racism
, social movement
s and the theory of social change.
A former student of Alain Touraine
, he is now one of the most renowned sociologists and public intellectuals in France and abroad. A number of his books are translated in different languages. Wieviorka received some international media attention as an expert following the 2005 civil unrest in France
, and has been elected in Durban as the 2006-2010 President of the International Sociological Association
.
Together with Touraine and François Dubet, Wieviorka developed the method of intervention sociologique and employed it to the study of militant social movements, in particular French anti-nuclear
activism and student leagues, but also the famous trade unions Solidarnosc in Poland. Following Max Weber
's classic concept of interpretative sociology (verstehende Soziologie), intervention sociologique aims at understanding the subjective rationale of actors in the context of larger social conflicts. This concept was opposed to, e.g., Raymond Boudon
's failed attempt to establish a strict rational choice
approach in French sociology.
Wieviorka is the director of the Centre d'Analyses et d'Interventions Sociologique (CADIS) at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
, which was established by Alain Touraine
in 1981.
Wieviorka is the founder and editor of the sociological journal Le Monde des Debats and, with Georges Balandier
, edits the Cahiers internationaux de sociologie.
In 1989, he was the first scholar to receive the Bulzoni Editore Special Award of the European Amalfi Prize for Sociology and Social Sciences
, for his book Société et terrorisme (1988, English edition The Making of Terrorism 1993).
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
sociologist
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, noted for his work on violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
, terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
, racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, social movement
Social movement
Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of individuals or organizations focused on specific political or social issues, in other words, on carrying out, resisting or undoing a social change....
s and the theory of social change.
A former student of Alain Touraine
Alain Touraine
Alain Touraine is a French sociologist born in Hermanville-sur-Mer. He is research director at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, where he founded the Centre d'étude des mouvements sociaux . He is best known for being the originator of the term "post-industrial society"...
, he is now one of the most renowned sociologists and public intellectuals in France and abroad. A number of his books are translated in different languages. Wieviorka received some international media attention as an expert following the 2005 civil unrest in France
2005 civil unrest in France
The 2005 civil unrest in France of October and November was a series of riots by mostly Muslim North African youths in Paris and other French cities, involving mainly the burning of cars and public buildings at night starting on 27 October 2005 in Clichy-sous-Bois...
, and has been elected in Durban as the 2006-2010 President of the International Sociological Association
International Sociological Association
International Sociological Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to scientific purposes in the field of sociology and social sciences...
.
Together with Touraine and François Dubet, Wieviorka developed the method of intervention sociologique and employed it to the study of militant social movements, in particular French anti-nuclear
Anti-nuclear
The anti-nuclear movement is a social movement that opposes the use of nuclear technologies. Many direct action groups, environmental groups, and professional organisations have identified themselves with the movement at the local, national, and international level...
activism and student leagues, but also the famous trade unions Solidarnosc in Poland. Following Max Weber
Max Weber
Karl Emil Maximilian "Max" Weber was a German sociologist and political economist who profoundly influenced social theory, social research, and the discipline of sociology itself...
's classic concept of interpretative sociology (verstehende Soziologie), intervention sociologique aims at understanding the subjective rationale of actors in the context of larger social conflicts. This concept was opposed to, e.g., Raymond Boudon
Raymond Boudon
Raymond Boudon is a French sociologist.He is a Professor in the University of Paris-Sorbonne, and is a member of many important institutions: Académie des Sciences morales et politiques, Academia Europaea, British Academy, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, International Academy of Human...
's failed attempt to establish a strict rational choice
Rational choice theory
Rational choice theory, also known as choice theory or rational action theory, is a framework for understanding and often formally modeling social and economic behavior. It is the main theoretical paradigm in the currently-dominant school of microeconomics...
approach in French sociology.
Wieviorka is the director of the Centre d'Analyses et d'Interventions Sociologique (CADIS) at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
The École des hautes études en sciences sociales is a leading French institution for research and higher education, a Grand Établissement. Its mission is research and research training in the social sciences, including the relationship these latter maintain with the natural and life sciences...
, which was established by Alain Touraine
Alain Touraine
Alain Touraine is a French sociologist born in Hermanville-sur-Mer. He is research director at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, where he founded the Centre d'étude des mouvements sociaux . He is best known for being the originator of the term "post-industrial society"...
in 1981.
Wieviorka is the founder and editor of the sociological journal Le Monde des Debats and, with Georges Balandier
Georges Balandier
Georges Balandier is a French sociologist, anthropologist and ethnologist noted for his research in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, edits the Cahiers internationaux de sociologie.
In 1989, he was the first scholar to receive the Bulzoni Editore Special Award of the European Amalfi Prize for Sociology and Social Sciences
European Amalfi Prize for Sociology and Social Sciences
The European Amalfi Prize for Sociology and Social Sciences is a prestigious Italian award in the social sciences...
, for his book Société et terrorisme (1988, English edition The Making of Terrorism 1993).
Works
- 1977: L'Etat, le patronat et les consommateurs. Paris: PUF.
- 1978: Justice et consommation. Paris, La Documentation française.
- 1978 (with Bruno Théret): Critique de la théorie du capitalisme monopoliste d'Etat. Paris: Maspéro.
- 1978 (with Alain TouraineAlain TouraineAlain Touraine is a French sociologist born in Hermanville-sur-Mer. He is research director at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, where he founded the Centre d'étude des mouvements sociaux . He is best known for being the originator of the term "post-industrial society"...
, François Dubet, Zsuzsa Hegedus): Lutte étudiante. Paris: Seuil. - 1978 (with Alain TouraineAlain TouraineAlain Touraine is a French sociologist born in Hermanville-sur-Mer. He is research director at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, where he founded the Centre d'étude des mouvements sociaux . He is best known for being the originator of the term "post-industrial society"...
, François Dubet, Zsuzsa Hegedus): La prophétie antinucléaire. Paris: Seuil. - 1981 (with Alain TouraineAlain TouraineAlain Touraine is a French sociologist born in Hermanville-sur-Mer. He is research director at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, where he founded the Centre d'étude des mouvements sociaux . He is best known for being the originator of the term "post-industrial society"...
, François Dubet, Zsuzsa Hegedus): Le pays contre l'Etat. Paris: Seuil. - 1982 "A Social Movement: Solidarity". Telos 53 (Fall 1982). New York: Telos Press.
- 1982 (with Alain TouraineAlain TouraineAlain Touraine is a French sociologist born in Hermanville-sur-Mer. He is research director at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, where he founded the Centre d'étude des mouvements sociaux . He is best known for being the originator of the term "post-industrial society"...
, François Dubet, Jan Strzelecki): Solidarité. Paris: Fayard. - 1984: Les Juifs, la Pologne et Solidarnosc. Paris: Denoël. ISBN 2-7158-1534-4
- 1984: (with Alain TouraineAlain TouraineAlain Touraine is a French sociologist born in Hermanville-sur-Mer. He is research director at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, where he founded the Centre d'étude des mouvements sociaux . He is best known for being the originator of the term "post-industrial society"...
, François Dubet): Le mouvement ouvrier. Paris: Fayard.
(English translation The Working-Class Movement, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987) - 1987 (with Dominique Wolton): Terrorisme à la une : Média, terrorisme et démocratie. Paris: Gallimard. ISBN 2-07-071135-8
- 1988: Sociétés et terrorisme. Paris: Fayard. ISBN 2-213-02206-2
(English translation The Making of Terrorism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993, ISBN 0-226-89652-8) - 1989 (with Sylvaine Trinh): Le modèle EDF. Essai de sociologie des organisations. Paris: La Découverte. ISBN 2-7071-1867-2
- 1991: L'espace du racisme. Paris: Seuil. ISBN 2-02-012567-6
(English translation The Arena of Racism. London: Sage. ISBN 0-8039-7881-2) - 1992 (with Philippe Bataille, Daniel Jacquin, Danilo Martuccelli, Angelina Peralva, Paul Zawadzki): La France raciste. Paris: Seuil ISBN 2-02-019603-4
- 1993: La Démocratie à l'épreuve : Nationalisme, populisme, ethnicité. Paris: La Découverte. ISBN 2-7071-2271-8
- 1993 (ed.): Racisme et modernité. Paris: La Découverte. ISBN 2-7071-2190-8
- 1994 (with Philippe Bataille, Kristin Couper, Danilo Martuccelli, Angelina Peralva): Racisme et xénophobie en Europe. Une comparaison internationale. Paris: La Découverte. ISBN 2-7071-2343-9
- 1995: Face au terrorisme. Paris: Liana Levi. ISBN 2-86746-136-7
- 1995: Laïcité et démocratie. (Pouvoirs). Paris: Seuil
- 1998: Le Racisme : une introduction. Paris: La Découverte. ISBN 2-7071-2866-X
- 1996 (with Alain TouraineAlain TouraineAlain Touraine is a French sociologist born in Hermanville-sur-Mer. He is research director at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, where he founded the Centre d'étude des mouvements sociaux . He is best known for being the originator of the term "post-industrial society"...
, François Dubet, Farhad Khosrokhavar, Didier Lapeyronnie): Le grand refus. Paris: Fayard. - 1996 (with François Dubet, Françoise Gaspard, Farhad Khosrokhavar, Didier Lapyeronnie, Yvon Le Bot, Danilo Martuccelli, Simonetta Tabboni, Alain TouraineAlain TouraineAlain Touraine is a French sociologist born in Hermanville-sur-Mer. He is research director at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, where he founded the Centre d'étude des mouvements sociaux . He is best known for being the originator of the term "post-industrial society"...
, Sylvaine Trinh): Une société fragmentée? Le multiculturalisme en débat. Paris: La Découverte. ISBN 2-7071-2597-0 - 1997: Commenter la France. La Tour d'Aigues: l'Aube. ISBN 2-87678-320-7
- 1998 (with Serge MoscoviciSerge MoscoviciSerge Moscovici is a Romanian-born French social psychologist, currently the director of the Laboratoire Européen de Psychologie Sociale , which he co-founded in 1974 at the Maison des sciences de l'homme in Paris...
, Nicole Notat, Pierre Pachet, Michelle Perrot): Raison et conviction. L'engagement. Paris: Textuel. ISBN 2-909317-52-8 - 1998: Le racisme : une introduction. Paris: La Découverte.
- 1998 (with Alexis Berelowitch): Les Russes d'en bas. Enquête sur la Russie post-communiste. Paris: Seuil. ISBN 2-02-026182-0
- 1999 (with Philippe Bataille, Karine Clément, Olivier Cousin, Farhad Khosrokhavar, Séverine Labat, Eric Macé, Paola Rebughini, Nikola Tietze): Violence en France. Paris: Seuil.
- 2001: La différence : Identités culturelles : enjeux, débats et politiques. Paris: Balland.
- 2001 (with Jocelyne Ohana): La différence culturelle. Une reformulation des débats. Paris: Balland.
- 2003 (ed.): L'avenir de l'islam en France et en Europe. (Les Entretiens d'Auxerre). Paris: Balland. ISBN 2-7158-1463-1
- 2003 (ed.): Un autre monde... Contestations, dérives et surprises de l'antimondialisation. Paris: Balland
- 2004: La violence. Paris: Balland. ISBN 2-01-279227-8
- 2004 (ed.): L'Empire américain? (Les Entretiens d'Auxerre). Paris: Balland. ISBN 2-7158-1512-3
- 2005: La différence : Identités culturelles : enjeux, débats et politiques. La Tour-d'Aigues: L'Aube. ISBN 2-7526-0067-4
- 2005 (with Philippe Bataille, Clarisse Buono, Sébastien Delsalle, Damien Guillaume, Farhad Khosrokhavar, Emmanuel Kreis, Jocelyne Ohana, Alexandra Poli, Svetlana Tabatchnikova, Simonetta Tabboni, Nikola Tietze, Fiammeta Venner): La tentation antisémite. Haine des juifs dans la France d'aujourd'hui. Paris: Robert Laffont. ISBN 2-01-279301-0
- 2005: L'antisémitisme. Paris: Balland. ISBN 2-7158-1534-4
- 2005 (ed. with Jean BaubérotJean BaubérotJean Baubérot , is a French historian and sociologist specialist in sociology of religions and founder of the sociology of secularism....
): De la séparation des Eglises et de l'Etat à l'avenir de la laïcité (Les entretiens d'Auxerre). La Tour d'Aigues: l'Aube. ISBN 2-7526-0152-2 - 2006 (with Julien Ténédos): Sociologue sous tension. Entretien avec Julien Ténédos, 2 volumes, Paris: Aux lieux d'être. ISBN 2-916063-07-2 / ISBN 2-916063-10-2
External links
- Review of Le Racisme in the Canadian Journal of SociologyCanadian Journal of SociologyThe Canadian Journal of Sociology publishes research and theory by social scientists on Canadian and world culture. The journal is hosted by the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta.- External links :*...
(English) - Wieviorka's page at the CADIS, includes a comprehensive bibliography (French)
- Wieviorka's interview: "Diversità, valori, responsabilità" (Italian)