Michel Maffesoli and the Circulation of Sociology between Brazil and France

Michel Maffesoli is a controversial sociologist. As the protagonist of several scandals, his prestige has diminished among French sociologists. However, of Michel Maffesoli's 150 doctoral students, 64 were French, 40 were Brazilian, and the remaining 46 were distributed across five continents. All his books were translated and published in Brazil within a short period. His concepts of "tribe" and "imaginary" were well-received in the field of communication in Brazil, which allowed him to maintain constant relationships with Brazilian sociologists and communicologists. He was even honored and awarded by Brazilian universities.

This paper seeks to understand how it was possible to build the circulation network of Brazilian doctoral students welcomed by Maffesoli, as well as its reception network in Brazil. Maffesoli actively invested in translations and conferences in Brazil while maintaining a research group at the Sorbonne capable of effectively welcoming Brazilian students. His investment in foreign students was an asset in his internal disputes within the French academic field, while for the Brazilians, the curriculum created in France enhanced their qualifications in Brazilian academic competitions, where the sociologist's discredit circulated with less intensity than the prestige of the Sorbonne and French sociology in general. A comparison between Maffesoli's position in the French field and his reception in Brazil may elucidate some effects of domination and specificities in the import/export of French theories to Brazil, as well as the hierarchies between the two countries and within each national field.