Using Diaries - A Real Challenge for the Social Scientist

This article is divided into two main parts and aims, on the one hand, at explaining the origins and chronology of the phenomenon called the “diary”, and on the other hand, at the sociological aspects of its use and role in social research. It intends to shed a new light on the historical, methodological, epistemological and ethical challenges facing the social scientist when choosing to use diaries for qualitative knowledge of social life.