How Pierre Bourdieu Might Analyze Trumpism

• In Event: Political Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Conceptual Clarification 101 (Table 12)

Abstract

What would Pierre Bourdieu say about Trumpism? No doubt he would be critical. But how might he approach the topic? While the secondary literature on Bourdieu’s oeuvre is enormous, little exists on his thinking about political conservatism and right-wing populism. This paper attempts to address that gap in the literature. It centers on American right-wing intellectuals, particularly those positioned in the academy, and their embrace of current right-wing populism supportive of Trump in the US. It shows how Pierre Bourdieu's thinking about right-wing populism might inform our understanding of the current situation in the US. Bourdieu would likely cast an analysis of Trumpism and its right-wing populism support within the broad framework of a sociology of intellectuals. Claims for what is Trumpism and how it is best defined would be analyzed in terms of intellectual struggle within cultural, academic, media, and political fields. A Bourdieusian perspective would not claim to offer a proper definition of right-wing populism or Trumpism; rather, it would bring to light the contested nature of competing definitions and identify the underlying social conditions that make them possible. The paper also identifies key characteristics of Trumpism in the US and asks how Bourdieu's thinking is helpful or not in understanding the current political situation in the US. The paper concludes by identifying what are enduring Bourdieusian insights and what elaborations or modifications of his thinking would seem appropriate for understanding the current US context.

Author

• David L. Swartz