Publication at Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of Social Sciences |
2013
Abstract
The sociology of Pierre Bourdieu, upon attaining a dominant position in French sociology, became a target of criticism. Some sociologists' paradigms have even been formed, in part, "against Bourdieu." This chapter analyzes how one current of French sociology – pragmatic sociology – criticizes Bourdieu and critical sociology in general.
Among other things, this current has criticised the privileged position attributed by Bourdieu to the sociologist in social analysis, the influence attributed to structure when explaining action –in particular, when explaining unconscious strategies – and the danger to analysis posed by the sociologist’s activist stance. These criticisms have been crucial to the search for alternative sociological models.