Au-delà du stigmate: La stigmatisation comme outil conceptuel critique des interactions et des jugements scolaires

The adjective 'stigmatised'is often used in sociology in the following expressions: 'stigmatised'schools, 'stigmatised'neighbourhoods. Unfortunately, this term, for lack of accurate definition, is a vague understatement for social exclusion. This shift in meaning almost overshadows the coherent sociological theorization on 'stigma' by Erving Goffman, more precisely on 'stigmatisation' as, first and foremost, a social process. It is individuals and not, abusively, schools or neighbourhoods, who are stigmatised in a particular social relation. From a critical perspective, we shall examine 'tribal'(ethnic) stigmatisation once theorized by Goffman. Other forms of stigmatisation at school than those tackled by the author are to be analysed as sociology in the 1950s was too limited in its scope to have a critical approach of the school institution. Indeed, stigmatisation only concerned peer group ostracism in Goffman's view, which largely excuses this institution and ignores the stigmatising content of school judgements.SCOPUS: ar.j