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Within two years, between 1885 and 1887, and within a few yards, Ribot witnessed the transformation of the title of the courses he delivered: once he had crossed the rue Saint Jacques, he no longer taught “experimental psychology”, but “experimental and comparative psychology”. This seemingly minor modification sparked an important controversy, which had theoretical, institutional and personal implications. The discussions revolved around the phrase “comparative psychology”. Charles Lévêque, a central figure of the Institut, used it against evolutionism; Ribot redefined it so as to make it a vector of its diffusion in France. The methodological ambition of this analysis is to show the significance of inquiring into the relations existing between the dynamics characteristic of places of knowledge and the choice of scholarly labelling.