Pierre Bourdieu: A Heroic Structuralism

Can one speak dispassionately today about Pierre Bourdieu? The extraordinary success of his work and its agonistic dimension makes things quite difficult. Jean-Louis Fabiani's book is an attempt to apply Bourdieu's analytical tools to his own work as he invited us in his reflexive sociology. Testing their limitations and their potential ambiguity allows the author to shed new light on the social genesis of his main concepts (field, habitus and capital) and on the complex relationship between science and politics. While the sociologist's systemic ambition is never taken for granted, it remains possible to reveal its hidden grandeur. Professor Jean-Louis Fabiani is the winner of the 2020 CEU Award for Outstanding Research [Click here to read the interview with Professor Jean-Louis Fabiani on the occasion of receiving the award]