Social exclusion: notion or concept?

Abstract

This manuscript contains a reflexion on the methodological status of the theme social exclusion based on a literature review of the scientific French and Brazilian production of the last ten years, also taking into account the scientific recognition of the authors. The works of present day sociologists face great difficulties to define social exclusion due to the lack of global analysis on social cohesion. The lack of this conceptual definition implies in the lack of knowledge of philosophical and political paradigms behind the different concepts (republican, social-democrat and liberal) as well as of the different meanings that can be given to social exclusion. For this reason an identification of different paradigms of social sciences and of different orientations regarding social integration was undertaken. In Brazilian production also there are controversies related to the theme social exclusion that most times are related to a structural inequality. About the scientific status of the concept, it can be classified as a methodological one, as it aggregates elements of knowledge used as images to explain reality that contributed largely for the inclusion of the theme of poverty in public spaces and for the implementation of public policies.