Culture and Power: The Sociology of Pierre BourdieuUniversity of Chicago Press, Jul 5, 2012 - 342 pages Pierre Bourdieu is one of the world's most important social theorists and is also one of the great empirical researchers in contemporary sociology. However, reading Bourdieu can be difficult for those not familiar with the French cultural context, and until now a comprehensive introduction to Bourdieu's oeuvre has not been available. David Swartz focuses on a central theme in Bourdieu's work—the complex relationship between culture and power—and explains that sociology for Bourdieu is a mode of political intervention. Swartz clarifies Bourdieu's difficult concepts, noting where they have been misinterpreted by critics and where they have fallen short in resolving important analytical issues. The book also shows how Bourdieu has synthesized his theory of practices and symbolic power from Durkheim, Marx, and Weber, and how his work was influenced by Sartre, Levi-Strauss, and Althusser. Culture and Power is the first book to offer both a sympathetic and critical examination of Bourdieu's work and it will be invaluable to social scientists as well as to a broader audience in the humanities. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 15 | |
3 Bourdieus Metatheory of Sociological Knowledge
| 52 |
4 Bourdieus Political Economy of Symbolic Power
| 65 |
A Cultural Theory of Action
| 95 |
6 Fields of Struggle for Power
| 117 |
7 Social Classes and the Struggle for Power
| 143 |
8 Education Culture and Social Inequality
| 189 |
9 Intellectuals and Intellectual Fields
| 218 |
10 The Scientific Intellectual and Politics
| 247 |
Bourdieus Call for Reflexive Sociology
| 270 |
12 Conclusion
| 285 |
References
| 297 |
| 319 | |
| 325 | |
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Common terms and phrases
action actors Alain Touraine Aron Bachelard behavior Bour Bourdieu and Passeron Bourdieu and Wacquant Bourdieu argues Bourdieu’s concept chapter classification cognitive concept of field concept of habitus conflict critical cultural capital cultural fields cultural production defined definition dieu differentiated dimension dispositions distinction dominant class Durkheim Ecole economic capital epistemological field analysis field of power finds first France French intellectual function fundamental grandes écoles hierarchy higher education idea identifies influence institutions intellectual field interests knowledge legitimate lifestyle logic Marxist mobility objective objectivism objectivist opposition particular petite bourgeoisie Pierre Bourdieu political position power relations practices rational actor theory Raymond Aron Raymond Boudon reflects reflexive reproduction role schools scientific significant social class social science social scientist social world societies sociologist sociology specific status strategies stratification stresses structuralist struggle symbolic capital symbolic power symbolic violence theoretical theory tion tradition Weber working-class