The "invention" of the working class as a discursive practice and the genesis of the empiric method of social sciences in France (1830-48)

The essay explores some of the processes through which the ‘working class’ emerged both as a collective subjectivity and as a field of social science inquiry and public policies in 19th century France. Starting from the 1831 Canuts revolt, widely recognized as the stepping stone of the European work...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Federico Tomasello
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Bologna 2016-12-01
Series:Scienza & Politica
Subjects:
Online Access:https://scienzaepolitica.unibo.it/article/view/6613
Description
Summary:The essay explores some of the processes through which the ‘working class’ emerged both as a collective subjectivity and as a field of social science inquiry and public policies in 19th century France. Starting from the 1831 Canuts revolt, widely recognized as the stepping stone of the European workers’ movement, the first part retraces the process of the ‘making’ of a social and political subjectivity by stressing the relevance of its linguistic and discursive dimension. The second part examines the emergence of the empiric method of the modern social sciences through new strategies of inquiry on urban misery, which progressively focuses on the ‘working class’ and on labour conditions as a field of knowledge, rights, and governmental practices.
ISSN:1590-4946
1825-9618