Titre du document / Document title

The real is relational : An epistemological analysis of pierre Bourdieu's generative structuralism = « Le réel est relationnel » : Une analyse épistémologique du structuralisme génératif de Pierre Bourdieu

Auteur(s) / Author(s)

VANDENBERGHE F. ⁽¹⁾ ;

Affiliation(s) du ou des auteurs / Author(s) Affiliation(s)

⁽¹⁾ Brunel University, ROYAUME-UNI

Résumé / Abstract

An internal reconstruction and an immanent critique of Bourdieu's generative structuralism is presented. Rather than starting with the concept of habitus, as is usually done, the article tries to systematically reconstruct Bourdieu's theory by an analysis of the relational logic that permeates his whole work. Tracing the debt Bourdieu's approach owes to Gaston Bachelard's rationalism and Ernst Cassirer's relationalism, the article examines Bourdieu's epistemological writings of the 1960s and 70s. It tries to make the case that Bourdieu's sociological metascience represents a rationalist version of R. Bhaskar's critical realism, and enjoins Bourdieu to give heed to the realist turn in the philosophy of the natural and the social sciences. The article shows how Bourdieu's epistemological assumptions are reflected in his primary theoretical constructs of habitus and field. To concretize their discussion, it analyzes Bourdieu's reinterpretation of Weber in his theory of the field of religion and of the young Karl Mannheim in his theory of the scientific field.

Revue / Journal Title

Sociological theory   ISSN 0735-2751 

Source / Source

1999, vol. 17, n^o1, pp. 32-67 (4 p.1/2)

Langue / Language

Anglais

Editeur / Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell, Hoboken, NJ, ETATS-UNIS  (1983) (Revue)

Mots-clés anglais / English Keywords

Bourdieu (P.) ; Epistemology ; Structuralism ; Bachelard (G.) ; Mannheim (K.) ; Naturalism ; Rationalism ; Realism ; Relativism ; Field ; Habitus ; Cultural production ; Religion ; Science ; Cassirer (E.) ;

Mots-clés français / French Keywords

Bourdieu (P.) ; Epistémologie ; Structuralisme ; Bachelard (G.) ; Mannheim (K.) ; Naturalisme ; Rationalisme ; Réalisme ; Relativisme ; Champ ; Habitus ; Production culturelle ; Religion ; Science ; Bhaskar (R.) ; Cassirer (E.) ;

Localisation / Location

INIST-CNRS, Cote INIST : 22302, 35400008481468.0020