Since its creation in 1964, each quarter Vie sociale has dealt with social issues both in terms of reflection and research and in terms of aiding decisions and social action on the ground. Each thematic issue combines reflection and information for the benefit of the various actors, decision-makers, and researchers working in the field.
In the early 1980s, Vie sociale gradually established itself as one of the go-to publications for information, debate, reflection, problematization, and proposals in the field of social intervention.
From disseminating knowledge about difficulties experienced by populations to reflecting critically on proposed policies in order to provide responses to them, and from examining existing intervention practices to promoting innovation, Vie sociale is a testament to the vibrancy and the intellectual and practical wealth of a broad professional area. Often little-known about and sometimes simply overlooked, this area is in fact crucial for the future of our society and our political, democratic, and republican organization.
By advocating “open thought,” distancing itself from forever reductive ideologies (without descending into unprincipled eclecticism), and considering the current state and complexity of the situation “on the ground,” Vie sociale aims to foster understanding and interpretation with and by those who, on a daily basis, attempt to find solutions to the sometimes (often?) desperate situations that they encounter. The journal has thus emerged as a means of support for the action and challenging work that actors in the field must undertake, fueling discussion on directions to take at the different levels it expands into, and promoting social intervention and its thinking among an audience concerned with knowledge and citizenship.
Resolutely oriented toward the future and first on the scene when new social issues appear on the horizon, Vie sociale has established itself little by little as a historical discourse on the topic of social intervention and continues to do so today.
