Autour de quelques formes de stéréotypie

Résumé (en anglais)

This article begins with a survey of the most frequent terms which designate the area of stereotypes, continues with their definition according to some researchers, and, thus, emphasizes which are their significant differences or, on the contrary, what make them (almost) equivalent. The questions formulated, first of all in reference to their particularities and their connection (Which term is the most comprehensive? Which are the most relevant variants of it?, etc.), have increased when the article approaches the way in which the stereotypes are used: how are they perceived? What functions they perform? Which are the domains where they are supposed to act? etc. The relevant answers to these questions presuppose necessarily that is taken into account the ambivalent attitude towards forms and contents stereotyped, explicable at least in terms of the antagonistic roles attributed to them. These roles depend on the manner in which the forms and contents stereotyped are manipulated following the circumstances. In this context, the article examines briefly how the stereotypes could be used to interacting with others who are culturally different. The paper focuses also on the way they are viewed within the field of literature.