Introduction

It is in The Oxford Dictionary of the English Language of 1828 that the expression to socialize makes its first appearance, referring to a process whose aim is “to render social, to make fit for living in society” (Clausen 1968: 21). According to this first definition, it cannot be taken for granted that individuals naturally fit into a given social order. To behave in such a manner as might be required by a given social environment, they need to be prepared and to undergo a process of adaptation and apprenticeship controlled by those considered to be the competent members of society.