Sociology: Pierre Bourdieu's Theories

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

• Imagined three ways clocks could be synchronized:
  • Mutual influence
  • Skilled workman correcting and synchronizing
  • Constructing clocks with such precision that they would always agree

Pierre Bourdieu

• French sociologist who sought to understand how human interaction is similar to synchronized clocks
• Questioned how society is glued together and how we are both free and constrained by social rules
• Theory focused on the interplay between objective facts about society that affect us all and how we live and embody these facts in our own subjective ways

Pierre Bourdieu: Key Concepts

• Habitus: A predisposition, tendency, or inclination that shapes our actions based on social expectations and probabilities.
• Field: The range of objective possibilities within a society, including job opportunities, products available, etc.
• Cultural Capital: The knowledge, skills, and cultural assets that give individuals social and economic advantages.

Philosophical Context

• Structuralism: Advocated for universal rules that govern all societies.
• Postmodernism and Existentialism: Emphasized individual subjectivity and the impossibility of pinning down universal truths.
• Bourdieu's Approach: Rejected the rigid division between individual and society, arguing that they are interconnected through the habitus.

Habitus Explained

• How our behavior is regulated without explicitly following rules.
• Our actions are shaped by our expectations of others' responses and the probability of certain outcomes.
• Organizes us by creating a sense of "what is likely" and "what is not likely" within different social settings.

Habitus and Social Fields

• Different social fields (e.g., universities, careers, subcultures) have different ways of doing things, rules, and styles.
• The habitus is developed through our interactions within these fields, influencing our choices and strategies.

Habitus and Strategies

• We develop strategies, often unconsciously, based on our perception of success, challenge, and social expectations.
• These strategies are influenced by our habitus and reflect our understanding of the social world.

Habitus and Social Class

• Different social classes have different habits, shaping their perceptions of reasonable and unreasonable actions.
• This influences their choices and opportunities, often passed down from parents to children.

Habitus and Emotions

• The habitus shapes our emotional responses to situations.
• Certain emotions are valued or expected in different social contexts.

Habitus and Physicality

• The habitus also influences our physical behavior, affecting our movements, speech patterns, and even muscle responses to stress.

Gareth Wiltshire and Colleagues

• Utilized Bourdieu's theory to understand causes for early age health inequalities between rich and poor
• Argued that the habitus influences physical practices, leading to disparities in health outcomes

Habitus vs Habit

• Habit: A repeated action or behavior that is often unconscious.
• Habitus: A broader, more flexible concept that encompasses the social, cultural, and economic factors that shape our actions and beliefs.

Significance of Bourdieu's Concepts

• The habitus encourages us to consider the social forces that influence our choices and behaviors, even when we believe our actions are based on personal preferences.
• Recognizing the habitus can help us identify social inequalities and develop strategies to address them.