A Sociological Analysis of the Controversy Over Electric Stimulation To Increase Muscle Strength in the Field of French Sport Science in the 1990S

This article presents a scientific controversy in the world of French sport science. It focuses on electric stimulation, a technique used to increase muscle strength by using a device that sends electric impulses into the muscle. This technique has been the subject of numerous scientific studies, but the results stemming from such research are contradictory and have thus created a typical controversy. The controversy involves several actors, which this article will identify; we shall also address the arguments developed by each to impose their point of view. Through the analysis of 50 scientific papers and 15 interviews with prominent researchers involved in the controversy, this article examines the social processes at work in the construction and resolution of the controversy. These processes engage various conceptions of scientific research and particularly enhance the conflict between fundamental and applied science. The controversy is also based on axiological positions and values, in particular various conceptions of competitive sport, and the relationship between research and the sport industry. In addition, this article argues that the conflict can be better understood if one considers the social stance of the researchers in the field of sport science and the interests associated with their stances.