Dispositif d’enquête et production d’acteurs sociaux : apports d’une analyse socio-langagière

During a survey about a new occupation, comparing the different types of data collected (statements about the occupation collected by interviewers and statements about the occupation collected by recording people at work) led us to the conclusion that the mere fact of conducting a survey may result in the emergence of social actors. Because of tensions regarding the status of the occupation at the time of the survey, we have described these social actors as actors seeking recognition. Some of the contradictions that arose when we considered each type of discursive data in isolation were then resolved, enabling us to point to the construction of a social meaning of discourse.