PL
The figure of the flâneur is attracting growing interest among sociologists. The question that has stimulated this research is the following: which is the “role” of the flâneur in the social system? After having briefly expounded the Theory of Roles, we examine some sociological works which seem particularly useful to formulate a response. Our analysis is primarily focused on the works of Walter Benjamin, Anthony Giddens, Zygmunt Bauman, and Giampaolo Nuvolati, taken as paradigmatic cases of four possible perspectives.