French Literature Reviews - 2026
A. Caillet, L’art de l’enquête. Savoirs pratiques et sciences sociales
Art and Visual Culture
Aline Caillet
L’art de l’enquête
Savoirs pratiques et sciences sociales
Mimésis Publishing, June 2019
EAN 9788869761874 — 202 p.
Over the past twenty years, artistic inquiry practices have proliferated across both visual arts and literature. By encroaching upon the domain of the humanities and social sciences—whose procedures and methods they experiment with, mimic, and frequently challenge—these practices spark critical questions from both aesthetic and epistemological perspectives. To what extent can inquiry frameworks initiated by artists hold scientific value? How much credibility should be granted to the posture of the artist-researcher? Can an artistic approach—whether literary, documentary, or plastic—produce dissident or alternative knowledge, and model new ways of generating insights within the humanities? Through a nuanced study of various forms of investigation, this book highlights the stakes surrounding these hybrid forms, establishing a dialogue between art and sciences while opening up debate on their public and critical implications.
Aline Caillet is a Senior Lecturer (HDR) at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University. She is the author of Dispositifs critiques. Le documentaire du cinéma aux arts visuels (2014).
Aline Caillet examines the growing intersection between contemporary artistic creation and academic research, situating these practices within broader epistemological debates. As literature and visual arts increasingly adopt the methodologies of the social sciences, they challenge traditional disciplinary boundaries and invite critical reflection on how knowledge is produced, validated, and communicated in public spheres today.
This study will appeal to researchers, students, and practitioners in art theory, literary studies, and the social sciences who are interested in hybrid methodologies. It offers valuable tools for questioning the scientific legitimacy of artistic inquiry and understanding how creative practices can generate alternative perspectives on contemporary social reality.