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If the concept of dignity is everywhere in the public space, it is nevertheless strongly contested. This article aims to understand the current use of this concept in numerous public debates and in many social movements. It will show that far from being useless and hollow, the idea of dignity has become a central value for our modern consciousness. This paper argues that if we link this concept with the ideas of autonomy, rights and liberty, it must be considered as the normative basis of our societies and as the ethical justification of all social criticism for greater justice. Subsequently, this article will attempt to show that this concept can be of great use for the sociological analysis of a large number of contemporary social problems.