Abstract
The continuous creation of markets under the impulse of capitalism and of neo-liberal policies which see them as the institution capable of solving economic and social problems has generated processes of moral contestation from groups impacted by those markets. This contribution aims to identify the resources that sociologists may find in classical sociology as well as in contemporary pragmatic sociology to analyze these phenomena. The article stresses as well that moral contestations can also concern other modes of exchange, such as gifts, inheritances or even state taxation. In conclusion, this contribution highlights the importance of the Polanyian idea of the double movement and of intellectual and social struggles in determining the boundaries of the market, reciprocity and redistribution.
Keywords
Boltanski; moral contestation; Durkheim; market; Polanyi; economic sociology; Weber