Justice, Critique, and Justification. An Analysis from the Perspective of Pragmatic Sociology

The fundamental proposal of the so-called pragmatic sociology is the move from "critical sociology" to the "sociology of critique". Pragmatic sociology, in an effort to distance itself from the concepts of field, capital, habitus, and illusio that have dominated French sociology since the mid-sixties, incorporates, reinterprets and merges different theoretical elements. This article provides an overview of the main concerns and postulates of the pragmatic sociological "style", on the basis of Luc Boltanski's reflection on three central themes in his work: justice, critique, and justification. The conditions that public denunciation of an injustice must satisfy in order to be considered admissible (or normal) and obtain the support of several individuals for the cause are explored throughout the text.