The aim of this essay is to establish some theoretical bridges between two social scientists, the French, Marcel Mauss (1872-1950) and the German, Norbert Elias (1887-1990). It starts from the assumption that these authors share some similar epistemological principles, principles that are valuable to the understanding of the education the socialization process today. Contemporaries, Elias and Mauss, both Jews, even not being a reference in the field of sociology of education, and although they have not systematized their thoughts on the field of the theories of socialization, they provide valuable insights about the inseparable relationship between individual and social structure. It is with this purpose that we will outline the next considerations.
Marcel Mauss; Norbert Elias; Total social facts; Configuration; Socialization