Ségrégation et fragmentation socio-spatiale – L’épreuve de la mesure

This note is a reflection on the meaning and scope of segregation and socio-spatial fragmentation indicators and, beyond, on the role of statistics in sociological reasoning. It shows that if these indicators can be used to test theories of segregation or fragmentation, they must nevertheless themselves be put to the test of sociological reasoning. The choice of statistical indicators is actually not a purely technical exercise but is strongly linked to the meaning we give to the phenomenon. Their construction and interpretation always depend on how it was defined previously, how its causes have been pictured, and its consequences have been anticipated. In this sense, statistical indicators can only be a step in a particular argument.