Images De La Recherche Sociologique Actuelle

Abstract

Images of Current Sociological Research. Three sociological associations participated in 1988 in the production of a directory of French-speaking sociologists: Sociologie française et francophone. This directory includes research topics - presented as text in an open question - and key words. After an initial compilation of the vocabulary (with Lexinet), 1460 entreis were the object of a statistical classification analysis (with Leximappe) in order to reveal the research problematics covered by the corpus. A statistical indicator of coherence and a more subjective evaluation of thematic coherence showed: research specialties which were both narrow and very homogeneous, more open specialties organized around a thematic core, and finally traditional specialties which persist. It is more the objects of study than the concepts employed which structure the domain. It is a picture of a rich and active sociology closely tied to social problems.