Pierre Bourdieu's sociology of culture: critical investigations

HM Sociology

Fowler, Bridget ; Supervisor, known

University:University of Glasgow

Department:School of Social and Political Sciences

关键词: HM Sociology;   

Others  :  http://theses.gla.ac.uk/5022/1/1995FowlerPhD.pdf

来源: University of Glasgow

【 摘 要 】

The first part of this thesis is concerned with the exegesis ofBourdieu's theory and the second part with critical investigations of hiscultural analysis. In the interpretative analysis, I shall show that it is onlythrough an understanding of his work as a whole that it is possible to grasphis now famous work on cultural reception. In our societies, the certifiedknowledge of professors and the consecrated representations of Tate Galleryartists serve to underpin the world through convincing the dominated of theintellectual poverty of their challenges. Moreover, I shall show that there is astimulating and rich tension in Bourdieu's sociology, particularly in hisexplorations of how economic interests are culturally legitimated. Bourdieu isa classic historical materialist, yet one who denies some of the abstractions ofsate orthodoxies. This means that - in the interests of truth - his theoryforces the squabbling protagonists of different traditions to live together.Bourdieu has an impressive reassessment of the logic of a minorttyelite culture in which art is hijacked to fit purposes often remote from theinternal meanings of the texts themselves. In the second part of the thesis, itis argued that Bourdieu's sociology of culture has not entirely extricateditself from these same ideological tentacles. Firstly, in the case ofImpressionism he overemphasises its character as a rupture in techniquesand has not been sufficiently attuned to its dependence on popular subjectsand popular sources. Secondly in the case of middlebrow and popularliterature, it is suggested that he has failed to describe adequately the natureof the popular cultural field and has also neglected the character of thecultural marginalisation of women. Finally, a study of literary consumptionin Scotland challenges Bourdieu's conclusions at some points. By consideringthese specific substantive areas, I hope to stimulate a Bourdieusian approach.