Autour de l'autochtonie. Réflexions sur la notion de capital social populaire

Abstract

Around Autochtony. Reflections on a Kind of Popular Social Capital Jean-Noël Retière The author calls into question the central role which plays, for the popular classes, the fact and/or the feeling of local rooting in the participation to public life, in the sense of commitment to and the minimal interest expressed for the public thing. He tries to grasp out, from this fact and the tributary feeling of the intrication of social bonds that are most prized according to the local scale of values, what he calls resources of autochtony. These latter, in given situations, operate as a true « capital of autochtony » which is slated, nowadays, by processes of disaffiliation affecting in priority the most vulnerable classes of society. Considered that these are an indispensable resource for these popular classes if they are to take part to social life, how many chances to take part to civic life and to sociable life the latter do manage to preserve when the capital of autochtony is struck by obsolescence? Lessons drawn from two research projects devoted respectively to the system of sociability in a historical working class stronghold (Lanester) and to voluntary service in the firemen squad make it possible to give preliminary answers to these questions.