Seeing what is not visible. Watching, seeing, knowing about cheesemaking

The cheese maker's know-how, which is central to the Protected Designation of Origin (AOP in french) sector, is largely based on the ``eye of cheese maker'', whereas the transformation of milk into cheese is based on a set of biochemical and microbiological processes invisible to the naked eye. In this article, we make a theoretical proposal aimed at enriching the notion of professional vision developed by Goodwin in anthropology. Following the tradition of a professional didactic analysis of work, we articulate it with the notion of professional gaze, which highlights the diversity of pragmatic conceptualizations mobilized and developed in manufacturing actions. We support our proposal of enrichment from two fields of study corresponding to two PDO cheese sectors (Comte and Salers). We show how a debated professional vision emerges through specific professional gazes constructed in relation not only to the socio-technical environment, but also to the goals and strategies from which their commitments in the processing activity derive. Our observations then open a questioning on the impact of the sociotechnical environment on the conditions of transmission/appropriation of the ``oeil du fromager''.