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In this article, Dominique Schnapper reviews the nine years of her participation on the Constitutional Council (2001-2010), in one of the key institutions of the French Republic. Since her nomination, she kept a journal, and after some time made the decision to conduct what she calls a singular “experience-investigation”, a term that she prefers to “observing participation”. After the publication of her book ( Une sociologue au Conseil constitutionnel, Paris: Gallimard, 2010), in which she had the chance to present an analysis of the functioning and the meaning of this institution, she questions in this article the meaning of her approach, comparing it to other sociological and ethnographic works. Florence Weber has accepted our invitation to comment on this article. We will publish her contribution hereafter.