Pierre Bourdieu Criticism
Pierre Bourdieu (1930-2002) was a prominent French sociologist renowned for his critical examination of social class and cultural institutions. His work, deeply rooted in a Marxist framework, emphasized how education, media, and intellectuals perpetuate social hierarchies. Although his influence in France was longstanding, Bourdieu only began to gain substantial recognition in the United States with the 1984 English translation of Distinction, which explored the intersection of personal taste and social status. This and other works, such as Reproduction in Education, Society, and Culture, analyzed how cultural "capital" and social structures shape individual opportunities and power.
Bourdieu's academic journey began at the École normale supérieure in Paris, leading to a teaching career that spanned from colonial Algeria to prestigious French universities. He was instrumental in founding the journal Actes de la Recherche en Sciences Sociales in 1975, aiming to critique the social mechanisms maintaining the status quo. His prolific output included over twenty-five books and numerous essays, with notable works like Outline of a Theory of Practice and The Rules of Art. These writings advanced his theories on social dynamics, emphasizing terms like "cultural capital" and "habitus," which describe how social class influences cultural preferences and practices.
Critics, such as Toril Moi, have engaged with Bourdieu's theories within feminist and aesthetic contexts, while Morag Shiach highlighted the challenges his ideas pose to British cultural studies. Despite criticism of determinism in his theories, as mentioned by Katha Pollitt and others, Bourdieu remained a steadfast advocate for social transformation through knowledge. His intellectual legacy includes a nuanced critique of power dynamics within cultural and social systems, positioning him as a significant figure in contemporary sociology, as reflected in various scholarly critiques and assessments.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Essays
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Appropriating Bourdieu: Feminist Theory and Pierre Bourdieu's Sociology of Culture
(summary)
In the following essay, Moi analyzes Bourdieu's social theory in the context of feminist critical thinking.
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Bourdieu and the Sociology of Aesthetics
(summary)
In the following essay, Loesberg surveys Bourdieu's theories of cultural and sociological analyses as they pertain to aesthetics.
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‘Cultural Studies’ and the Work of Pierre Bourdieu
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In the following essay, Shiach outlines the difficulties of placing Bourdieu's cultural theory within British cultural studies, focusing on the ways in which Bourdieu has theorized cultural resistance and political pedagogies, and how his work is marked by images of enclosure and entrapment.
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Review of Sociology in Question
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In the following review, Ghasarian summarizes the issues explored by Bourdieu in Sociology in Question, lauding the work for explaining some significant ideas regarding social theory.
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Language and Symbolic Power
(summary)
In the following review, Olson characterizes Language and Symbolic Power as “one of the most intellectually stimulating books about language.”
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Bridging the Study of Culture and Religion: Pierre Bourdieu's Political Economy of Symbolic Power
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In the following essay, Swartz explains the main ideas behind Bourdieu's theory of culture in terms of its relationship to the sociology of religion.
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Reintroduction of the Specialists
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In the following essay, McCann analyzes possible reasons for the neglect of Bourdieu in the United States, using The Field of Cultural Production as the basis for this assessment.
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Blessed and Cursed by the Box
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In the following essay, Marlière outlines Bourdieu's thoughts on the media as presented in Sur la télévision.
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The Market of Printed Goods: On Bourdieu's Rules
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In the following essay, Paulson proposes that although Bourdieu has remained constant in his opposition to social, cultural, and economic oppression, he presents a modified version of this argument in The Rules of Art.
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Language, Subjectivity, and Social Dynamics in the Writings of Pierre Bourdieu
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In the following essay, Collins describes Bourdieu's ideas regarding the role of literature in society.
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Who Needs a Sociology of the Aesthetic? Freedom and Value in Pierre Bourdieu's Rules of Art.
(summary)
In the following essay, Dunn investigates a contradiction in Bourdieu's theory about the role of art in society.
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Gender, Habitus and the Field: Pierre Bourdieu and the Limits of Reflexivity
(summary)
In the following essay, McNay focuses on the work of Bourdieu and Michel Foucault to examine notions of reflexive identity, characterizing Bourdieu's position as more dynamic and developed. This article argues that the failure of certain theories of reflexive identity transformation to consider more fully issues connected to gender identity leads to an overemphasis on the expressive possibilities thrown up by processes of detraditionalization. A more sustained examination of questions related to gender, embodiment and sexuality reveals aspects of identity that render it less amenable to emancipatory processes of refashioning. This is not to say that identity is immutable but, by ignoring certain deeply embedded aspects, some theories of reflexive change reproduce the ‘disembodied and disembedded’ subject of masculinist thought.
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On Television
(summary)
In the following review, Vera provides a brief overview of Bourdieu's On Television. Pierre Bourdieu is the only major contemporary theorist who has proposed a general sociology of culture. The production process, the cultural text, and the audience—in the context of social institutions, culture, and social change—can be understood better as a whole process using the ideas on the economy of symbolic practices he has developed throughout his career. This small book On Television is a good example of the empirical use of his method as he turns it on the field of journalism.
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France's Philosophe Impolitique
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In the following essay, Shusterman reviews Bourdieu's theories and writings in the context of other French theorists.
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A Literature from Below: Günter Grass and Pierre Bourdieu
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In the following interview, Bourdieu and Grass explore the responsibilities and challenges faced by intellectuals in addressing neoliberal policies, emphasizing the need to reclaim Enlightenment values and promote a societal perspective that supports marginalized voices while critiquing the socio-political status quo.
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Gender Unbender
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In the following essay, Reitter comments on Bourdieu's Masculine Domination and examines the reasons behind his immense popularity with the French media.
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A View on Bourdieu's Legacy: Sens pratique v. Hysteresis.
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In the following essay, Mesny explores the controversy surrounding Bourdieu's intellectual status in France.
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Pierre Bourdieu: Reason and Passion
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In the following essay, Shusterman details his professional relationship with Bourdieu, noting that despite their differences, they regarded each other with respect.
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Pierre Bourdieu, 1930-2002
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In the following essay, Pollitt provides an assessment of Bourdieu's professional career, calling his work 'the most brilliant and fruitful renovation and application of Marxian concepts in our era.'
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Remembering Pierre Bourdieu: 1930-2002
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In the following essay, Reed-Danahay presents an overview of Bourdieu's works.
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Bourdieu: From Class to Culture, In Memoriam; Pierre Bourdieu 1930-2002
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In the following essay, Boyne compares Bourdieu's Distinction with The Weight of the World, tracing the differences in thought and empirical data that led to changes in Bourdieu's theory of sociology and art in later years.
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Pierre Bourdieu's Masculine Domination: A Critique
(summary)
In the following essay, Chodos and Curtis purport that Bourdieu's concepts in Masculine Domination are limited in their application.
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Appropriating Bourdieu: Feminist Theory and Pierre Bourdieu's Sociology of Culture
(summary)
- Further Reading