Le fonctionnaire inachevé? La figure du maire de quartier (muhtar)

This paper considers the muhtar as the lowest level of the administration, the closest to the citizens and thus as the ideal point of entry for a study of the permeability of the ‘state’, but also for an analysis of the concrete forms of the relations between citizens and the administration. This study begins with the statement that the figure of the muhtar is not consistent with a reading in Weberian terms of ‘rationalisation’ of institutions. To the extent that proximity (geographical, social and relational) with the population is an integral part of the role of the muhtar, it seems more relevant to consider the muhtar as an institutionalised intermediary. This institution of the muhtarlık, basically the “quasi-official”, is characterised by the role that it deliberately leaves to social processes. This institution, which is implemented in different ways in different contexts, represents both a way of ordering – allowing in particular the integration of local heteronomous societies and producing contentment – and compromising, in that it provides ways of avoiding or bypassing the state order.