L’inclusion comme théorie pratique

Abstract

By using the expression “practical theory” that Emile Durkheim has used to designate pedagogy, the notion of inclusion is analyzed critically by examining its normative character according to the following aspects: its Latin etymology, its initial uses in politics international education programs and their evolutions towards valuing diversity; its variations in meaning between countries depending on their policies and institutions, taking the example of England, Italy, Brazil; its meaning in relation to two notions: the exclusion of with it opposes; the integration from which it stands out; its paradoxical consequences according to analyzes of contemporary human and social sciences, with and beyond Durkheim; accessibility perspectives that embody inclusion. Finally, to overcome the contradictions of the notion of inclusion, accessibility can be mobilized as a unifying and operational concept and as a new normative ideal.