Abstract
The world is experiencing crises of various kinds : ecological, health, energy, democratic, social with growing inequalities, humanitarian in conflict zones, fruit in drought regions. What role do the social sciences play in this context ? They can help us to understand these crises and even provide solutions, but they must also question the language of crisis, by showing the gap between reality and its representation - crisis discourse does not correspond to a critical situation, as in the case of migrants and refugees, or a critical situation that is not recognized in terms of crisis, as in the case of punitive inflation and prison overcrowding. Designating or ignoring a crisis thus has important political consequences, which researchers shed light on with their empirical research and theoretical analyses. Drawing on contemporary examples, the lesson will provide the necessary food for thought for all citizens.
