Theory in Sociology seminar 3: After Bourdieu? Reflections on Culture and Critique
Date/Time: Wednesday 12 June, 11am-12.50pm
Place: Violet Laidlaw Room, 6th floor, Chrystal Macmillan Building
Speakers: Nick Prior, Jade Jiang, Jingbo Ma, Angélica Thumala
This seminar and workshop is the third and final event in the ‘Theory in Sociology’ series for 2023-4, hosted within CRITIQUE. The aim is to promote reflection on, and discussion about, the social scientific analysis of culture and critique, with reference to Pierre Bourdieu’s work.
Please register here.
Bourdieu was, of course, one of the most pre-eminent sociologists of the 20th century. He had a huge impact on how social scientists think about culture, particularly through his development of the concept of cultural capital, as a complement to the notion of economic capital, and his critique of the idea that cultural appreciation is disinterested. Bourdieu also offered a distinctive understanding of how sociology could play a role in criticising social arrangements, arguing that sociologists should develop scientific analyses that expose the forms of mystification that lead people to adjust to conditions under which they are dominated rather than challenge them. Furthermore, Bourdieu made influential contributions to theoretical debates about objectivity and subjectivity, and the role of embodied dispositions in social life. Unusually for a sociologist, he is sufficiently well-known to appear on a tote-bag design.
As with any influential figure, Bourdieu’s work has been developed, questioned, and challenged in various ways. We hope this seminar and workshop will be a chance for those in attendance to join ongoing discussions about what should come After Bourdieu: is it social scientific work that is consistent with his analyses of culture and critique; approaches that modify his framework in certain respects; or should we be adopting analytic sensibilities that are importantly different from, maybe even opposed to, those found in Bourdieu’s thought?
We will be exploring these questions in two modes. The first of these is through presentations from four sociology staff and postgraduates, each of whom positions themselves in relation to Bourdieu’s work (along with other approaches) in their analyses of culture and critique (11am-12pm). The second mode is a workshop discussion in which we will break into smaller groups to discuss our own uses and/or appraisals of Bourdieu’s work in our research and thought (12-12.50pm).Attendees are welcome to attend just the presentation part of the event if they wish. The discussions will be facilitated by Stephen Kemp.
Our speakers have adopted one-word titles for their talks:
Nick Prior: Heroes
Jade Jiang: Import
Jingbo Ma: Reconciling
Angélica Thumala: Stance
Tea, coffee and snacks will be provided, although we can’t promise that all tastes will be accommodated.
Image source: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1393791710/tote-bag-bourdieu