Psychosocial approach to the masses: The debate between Serge Moscovici and Pierre Bourdieu and contributions to education

Abstract

In Brazil, the mass issue has been little addressed by social psychology, which tends to prioritize the study of small groups or organizations. The actions of social movements, especially those of crowds without a determined leadership, have increasingly called attention, putting the phenomenon of masses and, above all, of their management., under the limelight. Given this perspective, this article aims to present the debate that took place between Serge Moscovici and Pierre Bourdieu at the Maison de la Radio France, in 1982, regarding Moscovici"s book titled L'âge des foules: un traité historique de Psychologie des Masses seeking contributions to education. It presents the discussion about the concept of "masses" conducted by Moscovici (1981) and, subsequently, problematizes a few points of the debate between the two authors that may contribute to considerations on the challenges faced in the current Brazilian educational context from a psychosocial perspective. Keywords: Masses. Crowds. Serge Moscovici. Pierre Bourdieu. Education.