Social Topography and Class Analysis: The Relational Sociology of Pierre Bourdieu

Year 2020, Issue: 1, 79 - 101, 20.09.2020

Özgür Budak

Abstract

With the increasing fragmantation and proliferation of different social lives, class analysis has more daunting tasks and challenges to overcome. This diversity and fragmantation in social hierarchy has brought new discussions that are paving the way for a sociological outlook that can grasp the complex nature of late capitalist societies. Bourdieu’s theory of capital and social hierarchy occupies a central place within the contemporary discussions. His conception of capital, social field and power provides a wealthy set of tools to utilize. At the same time, those theoretical designs have led to methodological debates on Bourdieu’s intentions and lineage with other sociological traditions such as Marxist, Weberian and Phenomenological theories. Among the discussions, the central role must be given to the notion of relationality, a crucial attempt in Bourdieu’s conception of class heirarchy as social space. Without the stress on relationality, Bourdieu’s complex terminology cannot be organized sufficently to answer the questions; “what is social heirarchy and how it operates?”. The article aims to discuss the linkage between the key concepts on class analysis to portrait the relational character of social space and its relevance with the class hierarchy in modern societies.

TOPLUMSAL TOPOGRAFYA VE SINIF ANALİZİ: PIERRE BOURDIEU’NUN İLİŞKİSEL SOSYOLOJİSİ

Abstract

With the increasing fragmantation and proliferation of different social lives, class analysis has more daunting tasks and challenges to overcome. This diversity and fragmantation in social hierarchy has brought new discussions that are paving the way for a sociological outlook that can grasp the complex nature of late capitalist societies. Bourdieu’s theory of capital and social hierarchy occupies a central place within the contemporary discussions. His conception of capital, social field and power provides a wealthy set of tools to utilize. At the same time, those theoretical designs have led to methodological debates on Bourdieu’s intentions and lineage with other sociological traditions such as Marxist, Weberian and Phenomenological theories. Among the discussions, the central role must be given to the notion of relationality, a crucial attempt in Bourdieu’s conception of class heirarchy as social space. Without the stress on relationality, Bourdieu’s complex terminology cannot be organized sufficently to answer the questions; “what is social heirarchy and how it operates?”. The article aims to discuss the linkage between the key concepts on class analysis to portrait the relational character of social space and its relevance with the class hierarchy in modern societies.

Keywords

Bourdieu, toplumsal alan, ilişkilsellik, habitus, toplumsal sınıf

References

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