24

The sociology of professional groups is not a new sociological theme. However, some French sociologist recently proposed to redefine the object, the field and the approach with the aim to introduce new perspectives. The move from a sociology of professions (rather english-speaking) toward a sociology of professional groups (rather supported by French sociologists) could constitute an important turn in the understanding of professional communities, be they prestigious or not, autonomous or even only barely recognized (Demazière, Gadéa, 2009). In parallel, a third vision aiming to articulate, and not only to exclude, functionalist and interactionist sociologies of professions, invites us to leave « the golden age of professions » (Champy, 2009). The collective book edited by Demazière and Gadéa proposes to bend the interactionist approach. Champy chose another path with the reintegration of the functionalist legacy. In this article, we propose to question both approaches to evaluate the relevance of the renewal of sociology of professional groups in France.