Abstract

Why are architects faced with a long-standing crisis of legitimacy in democratic countries, even though going to an architect is required by law in most of these countries ? Design work and project management have now turned into a competitive partnership within an egalitarian trend. The crisis of the architectural profession results from the undermining of architects' powers relative to other actors. This fact clearly evokes a Tocquevillian paradigm : in democratic societies, the passion for equality tends to abolish all status differences. This article analyzes the relevance of this paradigm, comparing the unexpected consequences professionals complain about to the features of egalitarism described by Tocqueville. Finally, the author raises the question as to why this egalitarian phenomenon affected architects only from the second half of the XXth century on.