Sociologies (Oct 2020)
Le doctorat cifre à la croisée du monde académique et de l’action publique : quand l’intermédiation transforme la recherche
Abstract
Initially designed for the industrial sector and for the "hard" research, the french CIFRE (Conventions Industrielles de Formation par la Recherche) are increasingly prevalent in social sciences within public administrations and associations. The CIFRE program grants those organizations a State funding in order to recruit young doctoral students. Generally speaking, the CIFRE asks the question of the doctoral student’s position as well as how are his results are being used. Those questions are particularly relevant in public or militant organisations where the doctoral student contributes to public action. Noticing the lack of spaces for exchange and reflection about this topic (Berry, 2000) this article proposes a development of a reflexive outlook of the doctoral student’s role as a "mediator" in applied research. We are also focused on how the mediation of a tripartite CIFRE covenant on the conduct of the thesis is made. In such a context, we would like to enquire the effects of this double mediation on the modelling of the research object, the methodological deployment, the production of academic knowledge, and the construction of the researcher's action research position.
