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This article argues that the socio-history of quantification is not a simple sub-do-main of STS. On the contrary, it can provide tools for investigating a wide range of social situations from a new and interesting perspective. We begin by providing a new definition of quantification. Next we consider the way numbers permeate society to its very core, forming rich veins of data for social science research. From this process, referred to here as "quantitative marbling," three distinct cate-gories emerge: data veins produced by governments, those produced by social ac-tivists (often contesting the former), and lastly, those produced by non-govern-mental global networks. We conclude by suggesting that social processes aiming to free certain social aggregates of quantitative analysis are also worthy of attention.

International audience ; It has been well established now that quantification is not only a means to produce knowledge, but also a means of power. This insight has given rise to the famous and important body of works on social studies of quan

Information policing seems to be pervading public security police all around the world. This review asks whether this appellation describes a homogeneous set of phenomena. Compstat was the first program to massively computerize policing. The literature reviewed here follows its fate in the United States and, on a global scale, in France, where the program was imported. The review successively discusses the perspective of managers who were favorable to the program and that of "statactivists," activists who use statistics, who were opposed to it. Despite the many differences intervened during the importation process, especially in the balance of expertise and publicity, some points seem to be common to both contexts, such as the building of a computer infrastructure, a specific use of the data, and the constructive tensions between the police institution and its critics.

Alain Desrosières has played a central role in the French intellectual scene from the 1980s to today for his theories of quantification. In this article, I trace his career and that of his contemporary Parisian scene in three steps: first, the period when he was associated to Pierre Bourdieu; second, the one when he became part of what we propose to call a flock of scholars all working on the qualification of reality; and finally, the one when Desrosières was associated with the Centre Koyré d'histoire des sciences. Finally, we use statistics to analyze the extent of the international reception of his work.

Alain Desrosières has played a central role in the French intellectual scene from the 1980s to today for his theories of quantification. In this article, I trace his career and that of his contemporary Parisian scene in three steps: first, the period when he was associated to Pierre Bourdieu; second, the one when he became part of what we propose to call a flock of scholars all working on the qualification of reality; and finally, the one when Desrosières was associated with the Centre Koyré d'histoire des sciences. Finally, we use statistics to analyze the extent of the international reception of his work.

Cet article décrit les méthodes de mesure statistique de la délinquance utilisées depuis les années 1970 et les politiques publiques auxquelles elles étaient associées. Mesurant dans un premier temps l'activité policière, puis la peur du crime et la préoccupation sécuritaire, ces méthodes ont ensuite porté sur le nombre de victimes dans la population. Depuis les années 2000, les chiffres servent aussi comme mesure des performances des forces de l'ordre, ce qui pose de nombreux problèmes dénoncés par les agents eux-mêmes. On propose de les expliquer en questionnant l'articulation entre expertise et publicité.

En s'appuyant sur les exemples du New Deal et de l'apparition des sondages aléatoires, cet article montre que les crises économiques ne sont pas seulement des périodes où les séries statistiques s'effondrent, mais des périodes de remise en cause radicale des séries elles-mêmes, de la façon dont on les élabore et de l'usage qu'on en fait, et de mise au point de nouvelles méthodes visant à saisir les phénomènes émergents.

Based on the examples of the New Deal and the appearance of random surveys, this article shows that economic crises are not only periods or statistical series are collapsing, but the radical questioning of periods series themselves, the way in which we elaborate and the use made of it, and the development of new methods aimed to seize the emerging phenomena. Adapted from the source document.

Résumé Cet article prend pour objet le travail de prévision effectué par les statisticiens agricoles Américains pendant l'entre-deux-guerres et les difficultés qu'ils ont rencontrées pendant la Grande Dépression. À partir de cet objet, on abstrait une théorie de la consistance des agrégats sociaux grâce à laquelle on peut spécifier deux types de prévision, d'une part en régime de routine normale et, de l'autre, lorsque survient un événement exceptionnel.

What does it mean for a small bunch of civil service statisticians to observe something as huge as the whole American agriculture? What are the eyes that can see this? We answer this question focusing on the actual practice of statistical observation at the beginning of the twentieth century. We show that aggregating heterogeneous pieces of observation is necessary— even though it might seem paradoxical—and it requires the statistician be a very cunning observer.

This article focuses on the agricultural statisticians forecast activities in the United States during the Interwar period and their difficulties during the Great Depression. Therefrom, I propose a theory of the consistency of social agreggates, with two kinds of forecast types: a normal routine one and another one that occurs when exceptional event happen. Adapted from the source document.