Esta tese objetiva analisar a obra do intelectual judeu-alemão Siegfried Kracauer (1889-1966) produzida até o ano de 1933. Especialmente em sua atividade como publicista, Kracauer desenvolveu procedimentos de observação social que tinham como objetivo a análise de fenômenos de superfície, expressos por objetos relativamente marginais, pontuais e de extração cotidiana (por exemplo, o best-seller, a dança, o cinema, a moda etc.). Kracauer acompanhou elementos da vida social alemã durante a República de Weimar sob uma perspectiva epistemológica peculiar, que visava entender o conteúdo múltiplo de uma época a partir da interpretação minuciosa de suas manifestações mais ínfimas. Acompanho a trajetória de seu pensamento e procuro oferecer um modo de ler seus textos sobre as mais variadas e inusitadas temáticas. Nessa leitura, emergem as perspectivas de que esses trabalhos oferecem, por um lado, um diagnóstico de época; por outro, viabilizam uma forma específica de análise social, pautada na observação de fenômenos relativamente marginais. Durante o processo de interpretação dos ensaios kracauerianos, procuro expor o diálogo que ele manteve com o pensamento social contemporâneo e a constelação teórica que possibilitou tal junção entre sociologia e superfícies para o oferecimento de uma crítica do presente; além disso, aponto para o teor iluminista da sua reflexão, em contraposição a movimentos nostálgicos e regressivos que marcaram o período / The aim of this thesis is to analyze the works of the Jewish-German intellectual Siegfried Kracauer (1889-1966) in the period up to 1933. Especially during his career as a publicist, Kracauer developed methods for social observation in order to analyze surface phenomena, represented by relatively marginal, particular and everyday life objects (the best seller, dance, movies and fashion, for example). During the Weimar Republic, Kracauer monitored elements of German social life, making use of a singular epistemological perspective that sought to understand the multiple contents of an epoch through the in-depth interpretation of its minutest manifestations. I set out to track the development of his thought and present a reading of his texts centering on varied and unusual themes. Such a reading offers two perspectives: a diagnosis of the times (Zeitdiagnose) on the one hand, and a specific form of social analysis based on relatively marginal phenomena on the other. During the process of interpreting Kracauers essays, I present his dialogue with social thought from the time as well as the theoretical constellation that allowed for such a connection between sociology and surface phenomena in creating a critique of the present. Additionally, I highlight the enlightened content of his reflections, in opposition to the nostalgic and regressive movements that marked the period

Esta tese objetiva analisar a obra do intelectual judeu-alemão Siegfried Kracauer (1889-1966) produzida até o ano de 1933. Especialmente em sua atividade como publicista, Kracauer desenvolveu procedimentos de observação social que tinham como objetivo a análise de fenômenos de superfície, expressos por objetos relativamente marginais, pontuais e de extração cotidiana (por exemplo, o best-seller, a dança, o cinema, a moda etc.). Kracauer acompanhou elementos da vida social alemã durante a República de Weimar sob uma perspectiva epistemológica peculiar, que visava entender o conteúdo múltiplo de uma época a partir da interpretação minuciosa de suas manifestações mais ínfimas. Acompanho a trajetória de seu pensamento e procuro oferecer um modo de ler seus textos sobre as mais variadas e inusitadas temáticas. Nessa leitura, emergem as perspectivas de que esses trabalhos oferecem, por um lado, um diagnóstico de época; por outro, viabilizam uma forma específica de análise social, pautada na observação de fenômenos relativamente marginais. Durante o processo de interpretação dos ensaios kracauerianos, procuro expor o diálogo que ele manteve com o pensamento social contemporâneo e a constelação teórica que possibilitou tal junção entre sociologia e superfícies para o oferecimento de uma crítica do presente; além disso, aponto para o teor iluminista da sua reflexão, em contraposição a movimentos nostálgicos e regressivos que marcaram o período / The aim of this thesis is to analyze the works of the Jewish-German intellectual Siegfried Kracauer (1889-1966) in the period up to 1933. Especially during his career as a publicist, Kracauer developed methods for social observation in order to analyze surface phenomena, represented by relatively marginal, particular and everyday life objects (the best seller, dance, movies and fashion, for example). During the Weimar Republic, Kracauer monitored elements of German social life, making use of a singular epistemological perspective that sought to understand the multiple contents of an epoch through the in-depth interpretation of its minutest manifestations. I set out to track the development of his thought and present a reading of his texts centering on varied and unusual themes. Such a reading offers two perspectives: a diagnosis of the times (Zeitdiagnose) on the one hand, and a specific form of social analysis based on relatively marginal phenomena on the other. During the process of interpreting Kracauers essays, I present his dialogue with social thought from the time as well as the theoretical constellation that allowed for such a connection between sociology and surface phenomena in creating a critique of the present. Additionally, I highlight the enlightened content of his reflections, in opposition to the nostalgic and regressive movements that marked the period

The present thesis is dealing with the theoretical concept of modernity. It is attempting to define the concept with a reference to the experience of a shifted time-perception. The first part of the text analyses some of the theoretical approaches to the concept. The following parts are dedicated to the work of Walter Benjamin and Siegfried Kracauer and are trying to examine the way in which those two described their own experience of modernity.

Déclenchée par une expérience personnelle – la recherche d’une « robe d’architecte » –, la présente étude gravite autour de l’architecture en Roumanie et se concentre sur le style de vie de ses professionnels. Si les modalités de distinction qui opèrent dans ce champ – encadrées par la théorie de Pierre Bourdieu – sont initialement apparues comme pistes à explorer, ce sont les écrits de Siegfried Kracauer qui m’ont permis de traiter le sujet de façon satisfaisante. En traçant les contours de l’image d’architecte qui, sur son chemin vers une meilleure vie, s’abandonne au souci de s’élever socialement, j’ai découvert avec étonnement les architectes réservés de T. – la ville moyenne de Transylvanie qui a constitué le terrain de mon enquête. Ce qui s’est présenté au début de ma démarche comme obstacle est devenu, au fil de l’analyse, son aspect le plus fécond : dans les hésitations des architectes de T. (les ellipses et rectifications de leur discours), j’ai pu discerner plus de traits de leur réalité quotidienne que je l’avais d’abord anticipé. Grâce aux leçons de Siegfried Kracauer – son œil attentif, son intérêt pour les détails, ses capacités d’étonnement tout comme sa sensibilité aux idéologies et grandes directions de la société et son ouverture aux matériaux offerts à la sociologie – et à son style d’écriture, j’ai pu déceler des indices qui m’ont permis de plonger dans la réalité des architectes de T., une réalité mêlée d’une gloire rêvée et d’incertitudes vécues. C’est cette exploration minutieuse du quotidien et du discours des architectes de T, mis en balance avec leur représentation dans des œuvres littéraires et cinématographiques, qui se reflète dans le présent mémoire et le structure. / Triggered by a personal experience – the search for an “architect’s dress” – the present study revolves around architecture in Romania and focuses on the lifestyle of its professionals. If the modes of distinction operating in this field – formulated in Pierre Bourdieu’s theory – initially appeared as a path to be explored, it is the writings of Siegfried Kracauer that allowed me to capture the subject more aptly. By drawing the contours of the image of an architect who, on his way to a better life, abandons himself to the thirst to raise socially, I discovered the reserved architects of T. – the average-sized city of Transylvania, which was at the heart of my investigation. What emerged at the beginning of the process as an obstacle, soon became its most fruitful aspect: in the architects’ hesitations (the gaps and rectifications in their discourse), I could discern more aspects of their daily reality that I had initially anticipated. Thanks to Siegfried Kracauer’s lessons – his keen eye, his interest in details, his capacities of astonishment as well as his sensitivity to the ideologies and major directions of society and his openness to the various materials offered to sociology – as well as his style of writing, I was able to detect clues, which allowed me to plunge into the reality of architects in T., a reality combining dreams of glory and experienced uncertainties. It is this meticulous exploration of the everyday life and discourse of architects in T, weighed against their representation in literary and cinematographic works, which is reflected in the present memoire and lends it its structure.

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No description available.

En 2004, Michael Burawoy, alors président de l’Association américaine de sociologie (ASA), faisait un plaidoyer pour une sociologie « publique ». Ses considérations portaient sur l’orientation de la pratique de la discipline. Il avançait que le domaine devait réengager un dialogue avec des préoccupations plus proches d’un public « non-sociologue ». Dans ce mémoire, je propose des pistes de réflexion sur ces préoccupations en me penchant sur la pratique journalistique à travers deux genres : le fait divers et le feuilleton. Je mets en parallèle les deux genres en les approfondissant et en analysant leur traitement respectif de certains procès. C’est sur ce thème que je souligne leurs apports possibles pour une sociologie « en dehors de la sociologie ». Le fait divers, genre largement lu dans les journaux d’aujourd’hui, porte son attention sur l’environnement proche de ses lecteurs et sur des événements prenant naissance dans leur quotidien, mais qui ont pris des tangentes hors de l’ordinaire. Alors qu’on peut le qualifier de sensationnaliste et de genre exploitant la peur, il démontre cependant un intérêt pour des événements ordinaires pouvant apporter de nouveaux thèmes à la sociologie. Le feuilleton, un genre journalistique allemand foisonnant des années 1920-1930 et plus précisément le type qu’écrit Siegfried Kracauer, s’intéresse à de « petits faits » du monde urbain et assemble ses observations sous la forme d’une mosaïque. Le feuilleton tente de révéler l’implication de ses lecteurs dans les phénomènes qu’il observe, produisant un effet réflexif à sa lecture qui apporte une dimension possible à l’écriture sociologique. Suite à l’analyse d’exemples des deux genres, je propose trois pistes de réflexion pouvant répondre aux préoccupations de Burawoy : 1) la sociologie peut avoir un aspect « sensationnel », 2) la sociologie peut s’inspirer davantage du quotidien, 3) la sociologie peut prendre exemple sur une écriture journalistique. C’est en tentant de générer un effet par la lecture, à s’investir dans une forme d’écriture stimulant la réflexivité et à adopter une posture qui tienne compte de la contingence et du point de vue de l’auteur dans l’interprétation que le journalisme peut apporter des éléments d’orientation de la pratique sociologique afin de permettre à celle-ci de s’ouvrir à un plus large public. / In 2004, Michael Burawoy, then president of the American Sociological Association (ASA), made a plea for a “public sociology”. His considerations focused on the direction of the discipline's practice. His concerns were for a re-engagement in a dialogue with concerns closer to a “non-sociological” public. In this master thesis, I propose avenues to reflect on these concerns by looking at the journalistic practice through two genres: the “fait divers” and the “feuilleton”. I open up a dialogue between the two genres by exploring them in depth and analyzing their respective treatment of trials. It is through this theme that I underline their possible contributions to a sociology “outside of sociology”. The “fait divers” is a genre that is widely read in today’s newspapers. It focuses its attention on the environment close to its readers and on events that take origin in everyday life, but which have taken paths outside away from the ordinary. While this genre can be described as sensationalist and fearmongering, it nevertheless shows an interest in ordinary events that can bring new themes to sociology. The “feuilleton” and more precisely the type written by Siegfried Kracauer, is a German journalistic genre that flourished in the 1920s and 1930s. This author is interested in “small facts” of the urban world and assembles his observations in the form of a mosaic. The “feuilleton” tries to reveal the involvement of its readers in the phenomena it observes, thereby producing an effect of reflection after being read that brings a possible dimension to sociological writing. Following the analysis of examples from both genres, I propose three avenues that can respond to Burawoy’s concerns: 1) sociology can have a “sensational” aspect, 2) sociology can draw more inspiration from daily life, 3) sociology can take the example of a journalistic writing. By being interested in generating an effect through reading, investing in a form of writing that stimulates reflexivity and adopting a posture that takes into account contingency and the author's point of view in interpretation, journalism can provide elements of direction for the sociological practice in order to help it open up to a wider public.

La présente étude est une ethnographie du boulevard Saint-Laurent qui a duré 11 mois et au cours de laquelle j’ai intégré ce que l’on qualifie aujourd’hui le « cœur » du boulevard, la portion allant de la rue Sherbrooke à l’avenue Mont-Royal. Me basant sur des observations, des entretiens avec des résident.es et des commerçant.es, des brochures touristiques et les installations éducatives longeant l’artère, j’entreprends une entreprise de démystification : comprendre la réalité du boulevard contemporain en la substituant à l’aura énigmatique et mystérieuse que l’on retrouve dans les écrits historiques et les discours populaires. En menant des entretiens, je dénote une « nostalgie moderne » chez les résident.es et les commerçant.es de l’artère et montre leur utilisation différenciée de qualificatifs comme « gentrification » et « effervescence ». Par mes observations de tableaux éducatifs longeant les trottoirs, je fais l’expérience d’une « nostalgie post-moderne » et révèle les intérêts des sociétés de développement quant à la transformation commerciale du boulevard. Je perçois que les sens attribués à l’imaginaire du boulevard contemporain se définissent selon un rapport temporel et critique. Ma méthode d’enquête est à la fois phénoménologique, dans la mesure où elle reprend la figure du flâneur de Walter Benjamin comme posture d’observation, et « empirique », notamment par l’utilisation du feuilleton sociologique inspiré de Siegfried Kracauer, approche qui insiste sur la matérialité du quotidien, les discours et les observations. / The current study is an ethnography of Saint-Laurent Boulevard, which lasted 11 months and during which I integrated what is now called the “heart” of the boulevard, the portion between Sherbrooke street to Mont-Royal avenue. Based on observations, interviews with residents and shop owners, tourist brochures, and historical posters installed along the boulevard, I undertake an enterprise of demystification: to understand concretely the reality of the contemporary boulevard by going beyond an enigmatic and mysterious aura perpetuated in historical writings and popular discourses. In conducting interviews, I note a “modern nostalgia” among residents and shop owners of the boulevard and show their differentiated uses of words like “gentrification” and “effervescence”. Through my observations of historical boards lining the sidewalks, I experience a “post-modern nostalgia” and reveal the interests of development associations in the commercial transformation of the boulevard. I perceive that the meanings attributed to the imagination of the contemporary boulevard are defined according to a temporal and critical relation. My method of inquiry is both phenomenological, as it takes up Walter Benjamin’s figure of the flâneur as a posture of observation, and “empirical”, in particular through the use of sociological feuilletons inspired by Siegfried Kracauer, an approach which stresses the importance of the materiality of everyday life, discourses and observations.

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L’histoire du concept d’idéologie est riche des différentes définitions qui ont tenté de le circonscrire, en tension entre la description de visions du monde et la dénonciation de la « fausse conscience ». Chez les penseurs regroupés sous le nom d’ « École de Francfort », l’idéologie en vient à équivaloir au phénomène de l’industrie culturelle, c’est-à-dire la mise au service de la raison technique dans la production de la culture. Le statut du cinéma est intéressant à cet égard : non seulement est-ce un art né à l’époque industrielle et indissociable des possibilités techniques offertes par celle-ci, mais il a été mobilisé pour de nombreuses entreprises propagandistes, plus ou moins subtiles. La question directrice de l’interrogation est donc la suivante : selon la théorie critique de l’École de Francfort, le cinéma peut-il être considéré comme de l’art ou est-il confiné au domaine de l’idéologie ? Autrement dit, le cinéma peut-il revendiquer un statut qui ne ferait pas de lui qu’un support de la domination de l’humain par l’humain ? / The history of the concept of ideology is rich in different definitions that have attempted to circumscribe it, in a tension between the description of different worldviews and the denunciation of “false consciousness.” For the thinkers grouped under the name “Frankfurt School” ideology comes to equate the phenomenon of the Culture industry, that is to say, technical reason put at the service of the production of culture. The status of film in interesting in this regard: not only is it an art born in the industrial age and inseparable from the technical possibilities offered by the industry, but it has also been used for numerous, more or less subtle, propagandist undertakings. The leading question of our inquiry is thus the following: according to the critical theory of the Frankfurt School, can film be considered as a genuine form of art or is it confined to the realm of ideology? In other words, can film claim a status which would not make it solely a support of human-over-human domination?