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Article Dans Une Revue Revue Française de Science Politique (english - édition anglaise) Année : 2019

The political socialization of engineers at work: Technoscientific interpretive schema, professional careers, and marital life

Résumé

This paper examines how work has impacted the political opinions of a small group of nanotechnology engineers. It analyses how political worldviews are developed by members of the upper-middle classes, in this case technological professionals, and focuses on the linkages established at key moments of their process of political socialization. While the engineers interviewed expressed first being socialized to politics in their families (which were mostly right-wing leaning), they then distanced themselves from this heritage by acquiring a “technoscientific” worldview during their professional training which gradually influenced their understanding of politics. The careers of technological professionals can then take either a collective or individualistic turn, whether they orient themselves towards greater technical professionalism or aim for more managerial goals. These two career paths may subsequently nudge the political leanings of engineers to the left or to the right. Such orientations may be further confirmed or on the contrary challenged by the configuration and evolution of interpersonal networks, particularly on account of their professional or extra-professional components. Thus family life and friends can counterbalance or reinforce the political socialization that takes place at work.

Domaines

Sociologie
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Dates et versions

hal-03182838 , version 1 (26-03-2021)

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  • HAL Id : hal-03182838 , version 1

Citer

Ivan Sainsaulieu, Muriel Surdez, Eric Zufferey. The political socialization of engineers at work: Technoscientific interpretive schema, professional careers, and marital life. Revue Française de Science Politique (english - édition anglaise), 2019, Revue française de science politique (english version), 69 (3), pp.439-459. ⟨hal-03182838⟩

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