Habitus, body as both, the outcome and structuring principle
Section outline
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- Compulsory reading:
- Wacquant, L. (1998): Pierre Bourdieu. In R. Stones, ed., Key sociological thinkers. London, Macmillan Press. Pp. 220-225
- Bourdieu, P. (2007) [1984]. Belief and the Body. In Fraser, M., Greco, M., The body: A reader. Oxon, New York: Routledge. Pp. 87-91
- Recommended reading:
- Bourdieu, P. (1984). Belief and the Body. In P. Bourdieu, The Logic of Practice. Oxford: Blackwell.
- Guiding questions:
- What is habitus, social field, social structure, capital?
- What is the relationship among these?
- What role does the body have in Bourdieu's theory?
- What is the main Bourdieu‘s focus? (in contrary to symbols in Mary Douglas ‘s approach)
- What is symbolic capital, what role does it have for an individual and how it is created?
- Discussion questions:
- What is the relationship between the individual (body) and society?
- How is Bourdieu‘ s approach different from the approach of Douglas and Mauss and Goffman? (Symbolic body/social body; body techniques; normative of social situation.
- Can you think about more examples of this theory application? (In relation to gender, beauty, illness, eating, health, sexual behaviour, death)