Home>Pierre François
Pierre François
CNRS Research Professor, HDR
Centre for the Sociology of Organisations (CSO)
Research Interest(s): Economic sociology, Firms and economic elites, Sociology of art
Discipline(s): Sociology
Research Group(s): Work, Employment and Professions; Governance and Economic Organisations
Biography
Sociologist, Pierre François uses the tools of economic sociology to account for the transformations of contemporary capitalism, and in particular its dynamics of financialization. He works more specifically on big French companies and their managers. He co-directs the PARI Chair which analyzes the transformations of the European insurance world.
Part of his work also continues to focus on the sociology of art.
The CV of Pierre François (PDF- 145 Ko)
Professional Background
- Director of research at the CNRS (2010 - present)
- Research fellow at the CNRS (2001 - 2010)
- Professor at the École Polytechnique (2009 - 2017)
- Project manager at the Commissariat Général du Plan [Plan Commission] (2000 - 2001)
- Professor of Economic and Social Sciences at Lycée, Académie de Paris and Créteil (1998 - 2001)
- Project manager at the Opéra National de Paris (1997 - 1998)
EDUCATION
2008
Habilitation (professorial thesis) in Sociology, Paris-Sorbonne University
2000
PhD in Sociology, EHESS - Paris
1996
Agrégation in Social Sciences
1993-1997
Bachelor’s degree, École Normale Supérieure - Cachan
1994
Degree, Political Studies Institute (IEP) - Paris
Projects
- The Insurance Sector in Europe (Prudential Regulation, Big Data, Climate Change)
- The Financialization of French Capitalism
Teaching
- Arts and Society (Common Academic Track)
- Sociology of Capitalism (EMI)
- Financial Systems (EMI)
- Insurance and Climate Risk (EMI)
OTHER ACTIVITIES
- Dean of the Sciences Po Research School (2017-2024)
- Co-director of “Governance” collection at Sciences Po Press
- Director of the Sociology Department at Sciences Po (2014 - 2017)
- Head of undergraduate studies in Sociology at Sciences Po (2011 - 2014)
Editorial Activity
Since 2011 – co-head (with P. Le Galès) of the collection « Gouvernance » of the Presses de Sciences Po.
Depuis 2001 – Reviewer for peer-review journals (Sociologie, Revue française de socio-économie, Histoire et mesure, Politique africaine, Organization studies, Strategic management journal, Canadian journal of sociology, Socio-economic review, Poetics, American review of sociology, American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology).
publications
- 2025, "The old regime (of mutualization) and the revolution (of big data)", British journal of sociology, https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-4446.13205 – 1st published 15 March 2025.
- 2021, "Introducing Aesthetics Into Status Analysis: The Case of French Contemporary Poetry", American behavioral scientist, vol. 65 (1), p. 44-58 (avec S. Dubois).
- 2021, Sociologie historique du capitalisme, Paris, La découverte, 432 p. (avec C. Lemercier). https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03222371v1
- 2021, Financiariser l’assurance. Enquête sur Solvabilité II, Paris, Presses de Sciences Po, 355 p. (avec la participation de S. Frezal). https://hal-sciencespo.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03248472