Le Problème des « médiations » en sociologie de la connaissance / The «Mediations » Problem in the Sociology of Knowledge - article ; n°1 ; vol.37, pg 43-77

Archives des sciences sociales des religions - Année 1974 - Volume 37 - Numéro 1 - Pages 43-77
The sociological analysis of the religions discourse raises the problem of the instruments available at present for the sociology of knowledge for apprehending social conditions and measuring their respective influence on mental productions. The difficulties experienced in trying to define with precision the contents of the terms : « to condition », « determine », « influence »... are all the more conspicuous since they are generally used to designate the very relation that the sociology of knowledge proposes to explain. The present study, based on a sample of 181 documents formulated by the Latin-American clergy between 1966 and 1970 attempts to contribute to this area of research. These documents reflect the position of power that the clergy occupy within the Church as « managers of the goods of salvation », and with the reduction of their hold over the thoughts and acts of laymen the documents thus appear as car ry in g into effect the clergy's strategy which aims at increasing among the laymen the need for their service, which leads to the recuperation of their power. Furthermore it is noted that the definition of this strategy and consequently of the religious interpretations to be proposed, is worked oui within certain limits which are determined by two factors in particular : a) the very structure of the Church and its institutionalized norms of functioning and b) the social and political situation of Latin America. The elaborated discourse must therefore be interpreted as being the product of a negotiation of sorts brought about by the clergy between these two poles of influence. In this framework the terms « to condition », « determine », « influence » designate neither fixed contents nor the unilateral action of the social environment upon the discourse, but the end-product resulting from negotiations which vary according to each concrete situation.
35 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.