Jacques Merchiers and Patrick Pharo Toward a Sociological Model of Qualifications as an Expert What is a job qualification ? Thanks to the cognitive sciences, sociology has taken a new look at this old question, which the authors answer in three steps. First, the main methods of formalizing qualifications in expert systems are described. Second, two alternative (holistic and interpretive) theories to this model are mentioned. Third, the premises are laid down for a sociological model based on recognizing the cognitive and also normative nature of qualifications.Qu'est-ce que la compétence ? A cette question ancienne en sociologie, renouvelée aujourd' hui par l'apport des sciences cognitives, les auteurs répondent en trois temps ; le premi...