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Third-sector organizations – and especially those specialized in solidarity services – are often considered as being able to promote new forms of political participation and involvement in the public sphere. Indeed, by mobilizing relegated populations on the borderline between domestic issues, registers of proximity and political action, they re-shape the boundaries between what is considered as being « public » and « private ». Nevertheless, this article argues that in order to evaluate their potential political role, it is first necessary to focus on their modes of organization and leadership and their ability to construct their legitimacy against other forms of political organizations. And political sociology provides such tools to have a realistic view of these organizations.