Violence in schools is a social phenomenon. In order to become a research object, that phenomenon must be defined by the researcher. Besides, a great deal of the research effort consists in defining what one is speaking about. This article examines the way French sociologists approach the issue of violence and the conceptual distinctions they put forward: violence in the school, to the school and by the school; violence, aggression, aggressiveness; violence, transgression, incivility, etc. Behind violence as a symptom, it urges to study the tension simultaneously engendered by social relations and everyday school practices.
violence; school; social practices; pedagogical practices