Résumé (EN)

The reasons for the rise of the theories of monopolistic competition are fairly well identified. This is much less the case for their decline. This article will identify the forces that are responsible for the fact that the theories of monopolistic competition remain an interlude in the history of economic thought. It will concentrate on the epistemological aspect of the issue. It is largely recognised that these theories possessed a greater degree of “realism”. The history of the theories of monopolistic competition renders evident the problematic character of this quality and the inevitable tension that it creates with the very foundations of economic theory.