Social Action, Social Structure, and Their Discontents: Bourdieu and an Alternative

• In Event: 438 - Theory Section Paper Session. The Promise and Pitfalls of "Nuance" in Sociological Theory

Abstract

The paper compares Bourdieu's approach to understanding society with one that this author advocates. Fundamentally, Bourdieu takes a model of the person that prioritizes unconsciousness, whereas the author adopts one that prioritizes consciousness and reflexivity. On this basis there arise two diverging perspectives regarding normative constituents of social action, relations of power and social wholes. The contrasting theoretical stances meant that Bourdieu's substantive work is geared towards social reproduction, while the author's research is geared towards social change. They also give rise to two very different views concerning women and gender relations. Finally the paper looks at some problematic applications of Bourdieu's approach in empirical research, which are more akin to this author's approach.

Author

• Serena Liu, University of Essex