Transformations et visages multiples de l’individualisation : un bilan analytique

The article traces an analytical balance of the concept of individualization by reconstructing the socio-historical dynamics that, in western countries, have led to a growing emphasis on individual autonomy. In particular, an attempt is made to overcome some of the conceptual ambivalences and ambiguities that usually accompany the use of the term, distinguishing between individualization, singularization, individualism, selfishness and narcissism, especially in common sense. Focalizing on the situation of young people born and raised in a constant context of crisis - economic, pandemic, geopolitical - it is highlighted how useful a generational look is to better understand how forms of individualization can be separated from forms of individualistic closure and can promote new forms of collective action.