A Sticky Problem of Structure and Agency: Differences and Commonalities in Bourdieu's and Willis's Work

• In Event: Using Bourdieusian Tools to Tackle Complex Phenomena

Abstract

The widespread view of considering Willis’s works as celebrating agency versus Bourdieu’s as structuralism reflects a common misconception of “agency” and “structure”. This paper argues that both of the two theorists uncover a dialectical relationship between structure and agency. Although Bourdieu’s earlier works focus more on structural limitations than agentic possibilities, his later works capture the interconnected nature of structure and agency. While Willis highlights human agency and creativity, the “lads’” agency in his ethnographic work roots in working-class resistant culture and their agency also has reproductive consequences on their fates. This paper implies that educational researchers should address the dynamic interplays between structure and agency rather than regard them as two enemies combating each other.

Author

• Li Zhu, University of California - Berkeley