La dépression problématique du concept de contrôle social

In its first conceptualization, in american sociology, social control grasped a variety of mechanisms seen as the foundation of social order in modernity. The so-called « social reaction perspective » has completely transformed the meaning of the concept, which is now, at least dominantly, seen through a deliberatly restrictive sociological len. This article identifies major problems proper to such a restrictive view, which call for the end of its sociological use.