The refusal to accept social constructions that are « against nature », abstract and rationalist is beginning to come to the fore. It is from this refusal that the need to found our togetherness on a shared sensitivity is born.

The purpose of the last book (« Ecosophie » Edited by CERF) by Michel Maffesoli ,was to unearth the silent currents of thought that illustrate this proposal.
In the interview below the professor Emeritus of the Sorbonne and member of the University Institute of France (Collège de France)   and honorary member of the committee of honour of the FEDE tells us more.

What are the key arguments of your last work?

I examine various ideas. The first is linked to the distinction between “progressist” and progressive; a progressive society is one which respects tradition without being stuck in the past; to be progressive means that we have understood that in order to go forward into the future we must be solidly rooted in the past; it’s this knowledge of the past which provides the basis for a project of what is to come, and which assures us of a present that is comprised of the two. A “progressist” society however looks too much towards the future, which it considers, whatever might happen, as being far more radiant than a past that is deemed to be obligatorily out of fashion!

What other ideas do you study?

The first is that of sacredness; sacredness is a form of enthusiasm; it is an affective disposition that puts us in contact with something that speaks to us intimately but which at the same time goes beyond us into the realm of the infinite. This sacred experience is present in many areas of popular culture (sports gatherings, music concerts…) and the second is that of habitus. Habitus is an atmosphere of the mind, a mental attitude, if one listens to the terminology of Pierre Bourdieu. For me habitus is a habit, a code (originally clothing) linked to one’s environment.

Has your work on the idea of habitus enabled you to develop new ideas regarding education?

Of course! Modernity has been governed by “educare”, the fact of educating. Post-modernity (the current period) is characterised by an accompaniment, which I call initiation. Rather than being vertical, the transmission would become more horizontal, which signifies that it would  have to  find the student in habitus (habits, codes, knowledge, tastes) which  are his/her own; and from this,  to rediscover the benefits of the approach of Socrates, (maieutic) This, therefore, is my wish. Finally, it’s also from the starting point of the habitus (of the employee) that we need to need to build the coaching of business… For me coaching is the new name for initiation.