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This paper considers the research undertaken over the last two decades on social integration in France and, more widely, in Europe. The authors have attempted to define this research according to the various perspectives adopted and the findings reached. They have also tried to highlight the changes that have taken place in the organization and production of research projects. Among these, they highlight the creation of standardized nomenclature, the development of sophisticated techniques, the research on the scope and limits of monitoring instruments, and the creation of research networks, which are particularly active at both the national and the European levels. All these changes correlate with the construction of Europe. While a source of methodological developments in the social sciences, they have also led to a certain loss of meaning in the phenomena studied, in their variations and their historical intractability.