Skip to navigation – Site map

HomeIssues88

88 | 2025/1
Du social au commun : un changement de paradigme ?

Regards croisés en droit, économie et philosophie
From social to common: towards a fruitful paradigm shake
Edited by Céline Jouin , Gildas Renou and Marie Rota

Since Toennies and Weber, the social sciences have tended to distinguish between “community” and “society”: the latter essentially took over from the former, following the process of economic and legal modernization. Since the mid-19th century, much of the criticism of the proprietary order (involving both the market and the state) has been organized around the “social paradigm.” However, since the beginning of the 20th century, this paradigm seems to have been challenged by the proliferation and dissemination of the categories of “the common” and “the commons,” both in academia and in social movements. How can we understand this process, which seems to be global in scope? Are we witnessing a movement towards the revaluation of community-based ties? What role do ecological issues (climate, biodiversity, etc.) play in what appears to be a “paradigm shift”? Far from being incompatible, could we not observe a hybridization of the two approaches? Drawing on approaches from various disciplines, the authors of this dossier provide nuanced answers to these questions. In doing so, this dossier helps to shed light on the historical and conceptual foundations of the fundamental legal principles that structure our societies. It also contributes to the most current debates by proposing new legal categories that could reconcile social justice and environmental sustainability.

Search OpenEdition Search

You will be redirected to OpenEdition Search