This theoretical paper explores the role of social representations in the construction of social reality. Even though this question has been the subject of many debates, the actual processes and mechanisms through which social representations contribute to the construction of social reality have rarely been explored. Citing key works on the topic, the paper explores the role of the genesis of social representations in this process. Each stage of the objectification of social representations (selective construction, structuring schematization, and naturalization) is examined in detail. A more in‐depth analysis of the naturalization process is provided by dividing it into four phases: (1) recognition; (2) elimination of contradictions; (3) instrumental use; and (4) validation through experience. These phases are illustrated using the example of the construction of the social object of drugs in our contemporary society. The present examination of the naturalization process in relation to drugs reveals the mechanisms through which the reality of drugs as a social problem has been constructed and reproduced in our society.

The conceptualizations of power, traditionally associated with control, have been nuanced in the past decades by influential authors such as Michel Foucault, Hannah Arendt and Pierre Bourdieu. These authors offer a perspective on power focused on the agency of individuals, with an emphasis on the way the dynamics and relations of power operate. Relying on these conceptual frameworks, we argue that the theory of social representations is of particular relevance to an analysis of the construction of power relations, whether it be to criticize the effects of domination or examine those of emancipation. The results of our research on the social representations of depression illustrate the latter's role in the construction, continuity and transformation of the power dynamics at play in the area of access to healthcare services by people who have experienced a depressive episode.

L’article porte sur le rôle des intervenantes francophones du secteur de la violence faite aux femmes (VFF) dans le développement de services en français en Ontario. Depuis les années 1990, ce secteur a fait des avancées importantes dans le développement de services en français, et peut désormais venir en aide à de plus en plus de femmes francophones. Or, il existe peu d’études portant sur le rôle des intervenantes dans le développement de ces services en français. Cette première analyse de la situation repose sur les résultats d’entretiens menés auprès de 14 intervenantes francophones du secteur de la VFF. Ces entretiens permettent de commencer à prendre la mesure de leur rôle dans le développement des services en français dans le secteur de la VFF. Les données portent sur les modes d’action des intervenantes ainsi que les savoirs ou apprentissages qu’elles tirent de leurs efforts afin de les transmettre à d’autres et ainsi encourager la réflexion sur les enjeux liés au développement des services en français en Ontario.The article examines the role played by practitioners involved in developing French language services (FLS) in the area of violence against women in Ontario. Since the 1990s, the sector has been more open to servicing Francophone women and FLS services have grown in important ways. However, few studies have looked at the role played by practitioners in this development. This first analysis, based on the result of interviews with 14 practitioners, helps understand their role in the development of FLS. It discusses strategies used by practitioners as well as lessons learned from their experience. Ultimately, these lessons should be relevant to those involved in the development of FLS and provide a basis for discussing issues related to such development

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