François Buton

François Buton, political scientist, is a research professor at the CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research), and the École normale supérieure de Lyon, currently working in the Triangle research unit (UMR 5206).

He is a co-editor of Politix. Revue des sciences sociales du politique, and an editorial board member of Gouvernement & Action Publique.

His main fields of work are the socio-history of the State and of epidemiological surveillance, the sociology of combattants and violence, the sociology of ordinary relations to politics and social movements.

He has published L’administration des faveurs. L’État, les sourds et les aveugles, 1789-1885 (PUR, 2009), and co-edited Pratiques et méthodes de la socio-histoire (PUF, 2009), and L’ordinaire du politique. Enquêtes sur les rapports profanes au politique (PU du Septentrion, 2016).

In 2024, he will edit En déplacement. Les passages de frontières professionnelles en question (ENS éditions), and co-edit Les Gilets jaunes. Un marqueur des luttes sociales contemporaines (Le cavalier bleu).

In English, he has also published recently « Becoming political while avoiding politics: a study of Yellow Vests first-timers », French Politics, 20, 2022, 395-419 (with Emmanuelle Reungoat and Cécile Jouhanneau) and « Protecting science in times of crises [editorial] », Anaesthesia Critical Care & Pain Medicine, février 2023, vol. 42, 1, p. 101187 (with Ignacio Bravo).

He’s now carrying out a research project entitled “Representing medicine to preserve or reform it. Elements for a socio-history of doctors' public commitment”, which follows two directions : the analysis of major historical figures in 20th century France involved in the cause of medicine such as Robert Debré; the questioning of the public commitment of doctors in the Covid-19 crisis, and of the reconfigurations of medical discourse in the public sphere, be they talk as politicians, political advisors or experts in the media.