French Literature Reviews - 2026
B. Lahire, L'interprétation sociologique des rêves
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas
The Sociological Interpretation of Dreams
Bernard Lahire
Publication date: 04/01/2018
Publisher: La Découverte
Series: Laboratoire sciences sociales
ISBN: 978-2-7071-9866-2
EAN: 9782707198662
Page count: 487 p.
Can dreams be approached through the social sciences? Long considered inseparable from psychoanalysis, and widely studied by psychology and the neurosciences, dreams have hitherto been largely ignored by sociologists. Of course, a few researchers have examined how dreams were perceived across different eras and social backgrounds. However, what Bernard Lahire proposes here is to delve into the very logic of their construction, connecting dreams to the real-world experiences that individuals have lived through within the social sphere.
The ambition of this unprecedented sociological study is to develop a general theory of oneiric expression. Building upon the achievements of Freud’s interpretive model, Bernard Lahire strives to correct its weaknesses, gaps, and errors by drawing on the numerous scientific advancements made since The Interpretation of Dreams. Ultimately, contrary to Freud's view, dreams emerge as a realm of symbolic play entirely free from all forms of censorship, whether formal or moral.
The intrasubjective communication expressed within dreams makes them the most intimate of diaries. For those willing to look, they offer deep and subtle insights into who we are. Studying dreams allows us to confront what unconsciously troubles us and to understand the workings of our minds beyond our conscious will. This theory of oneiric expression also contributes to transforming sociology by endowing it with new ambitions.
If dreams are now entering the grand house of the social sciences, it is not merely to leave the place as it is, but to disrupt its habits and rearrange its space.
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An article on this work can be read on laviedesidees.fr:
And on en-attendant-nadeau.fr:
"Psychoanalysis “corrected” by sociology", by Anne Schiavetta
The Sociological Interpretation of Dreams, presented as a "theoretical and methodological" compendium, announces its "empirical"—or rather "experimental," in the author's words—counterpart for 2019. The title captures the core of the argument, but not the scale of its ambition, which surpasses Bernard Lahire's previous work. In addition to offering a new "interpretation of dreams," the author aims to completely renew the social sciences through a "general formula for the interpretation of practices" that would "function like E=mc2 in the physical sciences." The project arguably goes even further: whereas previously "when respondents fell asleep, sociologists closed their eyes," this book reopens them, providing scholars with the keys to a "sociotherapy." The forthcoming "experimental" book should allow for a better understanding of individual cases and their "social" treatment.
The study of dreams has long been dominated by psychoanalysis, psychology, and neuroscience, leaving sociology largely detached from the subject. While past historical and anthropological inquiries have examined how different eras and social backgrounds perceived dreams, few researchers have attempted to analyze their internal construction. Bernard Lahire addresses this gap by proposing a sociological framework that links oneiric imagery directly to lived experiences within the social sphere, engaging critically with the interpretive tradition established by Sigmund Freud and subsequent scientific developments.
By investigating dreams as intimate diaries governed by symbolic play rather than censorship, the work aims to expand the boundaries of sociological inquiry. Readers interested in the intersection of psychoanalysis, sociology, and the philosophy of the mind may find this methodological compendium relevant. The volume forms part of a broader theoretical project that seeks to connect individual intrasubjective communication with wider social structures, inviting scholars to reconsider the psychological and social dimensions of human subjectivity.