Leonie Henaut

Biography

The work of Léonie Hénaut belongs mainly to the sociology of professions and organizations . It studies the processes involved in the construction of occupational groups and their division of labor. Its first field of investigation was the conservation of heritage. In her PhD thesis, which is currently being published, she analyzes the transformation of this field of activity and the professional dynamics followed in France by art restorers and museum curators. It also shows how controversies and professional struggles are at the root of the appearance of works, and how their authenticity is produced in work situations. Currently, it is investigating museum professions and their evolution in France and the United States since the 1950s. This international comparison is at the heart of its research program, the aim of which is to highlight the role of interactions, between professionals and between organizations, in the dynamics of the professions. Since 2009, Léonie Hénaut has also tackled these issues in another field of activity: helping people with chronic diseases. Again, workers from different sectors (social, health, medical, paramedical or legal) are obliged to cooperate, but also to fight for the recognition of their expertise and for the definition of the autonomy of individuals. With researchers from the Center for Sociology of Innovation and the Center for Scientific Management of the Ecole des Mines in Paris, she is involved in several projects on the coordination of care and services for the elderly and the disabled, and on the structuring of assistance to family caregivers.

Research Interest

preservation or care- activity for cultural property and for people and to produce an interactional theory of the dynamics of the professions.