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Recognising the Misrecognised: Unmasking Symbolic Violence in our Social World and the Role of Translation

Year 2025, Volume: 10 Issue: 1, 434 - 448, 30.04.2025
https://doi.org/10.29110/soylemdergi.1601430

Abstract

This paper explores two significant concepts of Pierre Bourdieu’s sociological framework: ‘symbolic violence’ and ‘misrecognition’. Symbolic violence’ refers to the imposition of systems of meaning and value that serve the interests of the dominant groups in society, leading to cultural and social domination where the dominated individuals or classes internalise these norms as legitimate
Misrecognition’ highlights how societies perpetuate inequalities and preserve power structures by disguising them as normal or legitimate. The paper aims to provide illustrative examples of mechanisms that reproduce the status quo and examine the role of translation in countering the inequality produced by symbolic violence. Examples from education, gender, and family contexts demonstrate the interrelation between Bourdieu's concepts and offer insights into the reproduction and maintenance of power and social hierarchies.

References

  • Andersen, Margaret. (1987). “Changing the Curriculum in Higher Education”, Signs, 12(2), 222–254.
  • Antara, Lina (2015). “Overcoming political exclusion of indigenous women in Mexico”, International IDEA. [Accessed 03 September 2024]. Available from: https://www.idea.int/news/overcoming-political-exclusion-indigenous-women-mexico.
  • Bardall, Gabrielle (2020). “Symbolic violence as a form of violence against women in politics: A critical examination”, Revista Mexicana De Ciencias Políticas Y Sociales, 65(238), 379–391.
  • Blouin, Katherine (2017). “Classical Studies’ glass ceiling is White”, Everyday Orientalism. [Accessed 04 September 2024]. Available from: https://everydayorientalism.wordpress.com/2017/01/10/classical-studies-glass-ceiling-is-white.
  • Bourdieu, Pierre (1974). “The school as a conservative force: Scholastic and cultural inequalities”, In M. F. D. Young (Ed.), Intellectual field and creative project (pp. 162–179). London: Collier-Macmillan.
  • Bourdieu, Pierre (1977). Outline of a theory of practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Bourdieu, Pierre (1989). “Social space and symbolic power”, Sociological Theory, 7(1), 14–25. https://doi.org/10.2307/202060.
  • Bourdieu, Pierre (1990). The logic of practice (R. Nice, Trans.). Stanford: Stanford University Press.
  • Bourdieu, Pierre (1991). Language and symbolic power. London: Harvard University Press.
  • Bourdieu, Pierre (1993). The field of cultural production. Cambridge: Polity Press.
  • Bourdieu, Pierre (1998). Masculine domination. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
  • Bourdieu, Pierre, & Passeron, Jean-Claude. (1977). Reproduction in education, society and culture. London: Sage Publications.
  • Bourdieu, Pierre, & Passeron, Jean-Claude, & de Saint Martin, Monique. (1996). Academic discourse: Linguistic misunderstanding and professorial power. Cambridge: Polity Press.
  • Bourdieu, Pierre, & Wacquant, Loic. (1992). An invitation to reflexive sociology. Cambridge: Polity Press. Bourdieu, Pierre (2001a). Masculine Domination. Cambridge: Polity Press.
  • Calás, Marta, Smircich, Linda, Bourne, Kristina. (2013). Knowing Lisa? Feminist analyses of 'gender and entrepreneurship'. In Handbook on Women in Business and Management (pp. 98–112). Cheltenham: England: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd.
  • Carrington, Vicky. (2023). “Everyday family spaces: Systemic symbolic violence”. Internet Journal of Language, Culture and Society, (5), 1–17. University of Tasmania. https://hdl.handle.net/102.100.100/553397
  • Chien, Joelle. (2020, August 30). “Do we still need to read and teach the classics?” Stanford Daily. https://stanforddaily.com/2020/08/30/do-we-still-need-to-read-and-teach-the-classics/
  • Eckert, Penelope, & McConnell-Ginet, Sally. (2001). “An introduction to gender”. In Language and gender (2nd ed., pp. 1–34). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Anon. (2024). “The relationship between Pierre Bourdieu’s symbolic violence and gender”. In Sociology of Gender, Sociology of Violence & Conflict. Easy Sociology. https://easysociology.com/sociology-of-violence-conflict/the-relationship-between-pierre-bourdieus-symbolic-violence-and-gender/
  • Elam, Amanda. (2008). Gender and entrepreneurship: A multilevel theory and analysis. Cheltenham, England: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd.
  • Giroux, Henry. (1989). Schooling for democracy: Critical pedagogy in the modern age. Oxford: Routledge.
  • Gray, Jordan. (2023). Review the patriarchal system. Study.com. https://study.com/learn/lesson/patriarchy-overview-examples-system.html
  • Grzby, M. (2016). “An explanation of honour-related killings of women in Europe through Bourdieu’s concept of symbolic violence and masculine domination”. London: Sage, 64(7), 1036–1053.
  • Jenkins, Richard. (1992). Pierre Bourdieu. Oxford: Routledge.
  • Jones, Sally. (2015). “You would expect the successful person to be the man: Gendered symbolic violence in UK HE entrepreneurship education”. International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, 7(3), 303–320. Bingley, United Kingdom.
  • Krais, Beate. (1993). “Gender and symbolic violence: Female oppression in the light of Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of social practice”. In Craig Calhoun, Edward LiPuma, & oishe Postone (Eds.), Bourdieu: Critical perspectives. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  • Krook, Mona. & Restrepo Sanín. (2016). “Gender and political violence in Latin America: Concepts, debates and solutions”. Política y gobierno, 23(1), 127¬–162. Madrid, Spain.
  • Layer, G. (2002). “Developing inclusivity”. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 21(1), 3–12.
  • Lusasi, Justin. & Mwaseba, Dismas. (2020). “Gender inequality and symbolic violence in Women’s access to family land in the southern highlands of Tanzania”. Land, 9, issue 11, p. 1-14, https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:9:y:2020:i:11:p:468-:d:449067.
  • Mangan, Doireann, & Winter, Laura Anne. (2017). “(In)validation and (mis)recognition in higher education: The experiences of students from refugee backgrounds”. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 36(4), 486–502. https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.2017.1287131.
  • Muraco, Joel. (2024). “The family”. In R. Biswas-Diener & E. Diener (Eds.), Noba textbook series: Psychology. Champaign, IL: DEF publishers. http://noba.to/3htscypq
  • Murdock, George Peter. (1949). Social structure. London: Collier Macmillan Ltd.
  • Ruano, Rosario Martin. (2021). “(Re)locating translation within asymmetrical power dynamics”. In O. C. Cortés & E. Monzó-Nebot (Eds), Translating Asymmetry - Rewriting Power (pp. 335-360). http://gen.lib.rus.ec/book/index.php?md5=C02241A2B805AA87B88CDF29F0C003FB
  • Samuel, Chris. (2013). “Symbolic violence and collective identity: Pierre Bourdieu and the ethics of resistance”. Social Movement Studies, 12(4), 397–413. https://doi.org/10.1080/14742837.2013.823345.
  • Sayer, Andrew. (2005). The moral significance of class. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Schubert, Daniel. (2013). “Suffering/symbolic violence”. In Michael Grenfell (Ed.), Pierre Bourdieu: Key concepts. London: Routledge Publishing.
  • Sultana, Abeda. (2010). “Patriarchy and women’s subordination: A theoretical analysis”. Arts Faculty Journal, 1–18.
  • Sumit, Kanti Ghosh. (2024). “Body, dress, and symbolic capital: Multifaceted presentation of PUGREE in colonial governance of British India”. Textile, 24(2), 334–365. https://resolver.scholarsportal.info/resolve/14759756/v22i0002/334_bdascmicgobi.xml
  • Thapar-Björkert, Suruchi, Samelius, Lotta, and Sanghera, Gurchathen. (2016). “Exploring symbolic violence in the everyday: Misrecognition, condescension, consent and complicity”. Feminist Review, 112(1), 144–162.
  • Tomlinson, Michael, Enders, Jurgen, & Naidoo, Rajani. (2018). “The teaching excellence framework: Symbolic violence and the measured market in higher education”. Critical Studies in Education, 61(5), 627–642. https://doi.org/10.1080/17508487.2018.1553793
  • Uhlmann, Allon, and Uhlmann, Jennifer. (2005). “Embodiment below discourse: The internalized domination of the masculine perspective”. Women's Studies International Forum, 28(1), 93–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2005.02.007
  • Watson, Jo, & Widin, Jacqueline. (2015). “Maintaining the status quo: Symbolic violence in higher education”. Higher Education Research & Development, 34(3), 658–670.
  • Yorke, Mantz. (2001). “Outside benchmark expectations? Variations in non-completion rates in English higher education”. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 23(2), 147–158.

Yanlış Tanınanları Tanımak: Sosyal Dünyamızdaki Sembolik Şiddetin Maskesini Düşürmek ve Çevirinin Rolü

Year 2025, Volume: 10 Issue: 1, 434 - 448, 30.04.2025
https://doi.org/10.29110/soylemdergi.1601430

Abstract

Pierre Bourdieu'nun sosyolojik çerçevesinin iki önemli kavramı, “sembolik şiddet” ve “yanlış tanıma”dır. Bourdieu'nun teorisinde, “sembolik şiddet”, toplumdaki baskın grupların çıkarlarına hizmet eden anlam ve değer sistemlerinin dayatılmasını ifade eder. Bu, kültürel ve sosyal egemenlik yoluyla uygulanan fiziksel olmayan bir şiddet biçimidir. Bu süreçte, egemen bireyler veya sınıflar, dayatılan normları ve değerleri içselleştirerek bunları meşru olarak kabul eder. "Yanlış tanıma" ise, toplumların eşitsizlikleri sürdürdüğünü ve güç yapılarını gizleyerek bu yapıları normal veya meşru olarak koruduğunu vurgular.
Sembolik şiddetin yanlış tanıma yoluyla işlediği gerçeğinden hareketle, bu makale, statükonun yeniden üretiminin tezahür ettiği mekanizmalara dair açıklayıcı örnekler sunacaktır. Ayrıca, makale, çevirinin sembolik şiddetin ürettiği eşitsizliklere karşı bir direniş mekanizması olarak nasıl kullanılabileceğini önermektedir. Örnekler, üç farklı bağlamdan alınmıştır: eğitim, cinsiyet ve aile. Bu örnekler, söz konusu iki kavramın birbiriyle nasıl yakından ilişkili olduğunu ve aralarındaki ilişkiyi anlamanın, güç ve toplumsal hiyerarşilerin nasıl yeniden üretildiği ve sürdürüldüğü konusunda daha derin bir kavrayış sağlayabileceğini göstermek amacıyla kullanılacaktır.

References

  • Andersen, Margaret. (1987). “Changing the Curriculum in Higher Education”, Signs, 12(2), 222–254.
  • Antara, Lina (2015). “Overcoming political exclusion of indigenous women in Mexico”, International IDEA. [Accessed 03 September 2024]. Available from: https://www.idea.int/news/overcoming-political-exclusion-indigenous-women-mexico.
  • Bardall, Gabrielle (2020). “Symbolic violence as a form of violence against women in politics: A critical examination”, Revista Mexicana De Ciencias Políticas Y Sociales, 65(238), 379–391.
  • Blouin, Katherine (2017). “Classical Studies’ glass ceiling is White”, Everyday Orientalism. [Accessed 04 September 2024]. Available from: https://everydayorientalism.wordpress.com/2017/01/10/classical-studies-glass-ceiling-is-white.
  • Bourdieu, Pierre (1974). “The school as a conservative force: Scholastic and cultural inequalities”, In M. F. D. Young (Ed.), Intellectual field and creative project (pp. 162–179). London: Collier-Macmillan.
  • Bourdieu, Pierre (1977). Outline of a theory of practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Bourdieu, Pierre (1989). “Social space and symbolic power”, Sociological Theory, 7(1), 14–25. https://doi.org/10.2307/202060.
  • Bourdieu, Pierre (1990). The logic of practice (R. Nice, Trans.). Stanford: Stanford University Press.
  • Bourdieu, Pierre (1991). Language and symbolic power. London: Harvard University Press.
  • Bourdieu, Pierre (1993). The field of cultural production. Cambridge: Polity Press.
  • Bourdieu, Pierre (1998). Masculine domination. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
  • Bourdieu, Pierre, & Passeron, Jean-Claude. (1977). Reproduction in education, society and culture. London: Sage Publications.
  • Bourdieu, Pierre, & Passeron, Jean-Claude, & de Saint Martin, Monique. (1996). Academic discourse: Linguistic misunderstanding and professorial power. Cambridge: Polity Press.
  • Bourdieu, Pierre, & Wacquant, Loic. (1992). An invitation to reflexive sociology. Cambridge: Polity Press. Bourdieu, Pierre (2001a). Masculine Domination. Cambridge: Polity Press.
  • Calás, Marta, Smircich, Linda, Bourne, Kristina. (2013). Knowing Lisa? Feminist analyses of 'gender and entrepreneurship'. In Handbook on Women in Business and Management (pp. 98–112). Cheltenham: England: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd.
  • Carrington, Vicky. (2023). “Everyday family spaces: Systemic symbolic violence”. Internet Journal of Language, Culture and Society, (5), 1–17. University of Tasmania. https://hdl.handle.net/102.100.100/553397
  • Chien, Joelle. (2020, August 30). “Do we still need to read and teach the classics?” Stanford Daily. https://stanforddaily.com/2020/08/30/do-we-still-need-to-read-and-teach-the-classics/
  • Eckert, Penelope, & McConnell-Ginet, Sally. (2001). “An introduction to gender”. In Language and gender (2nd ed., pp. 1–34). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Anon. (2024). “The relationship between Pierre Bourdieu’s symbolic violence and gender”. In Sociology of Gender, Sociology of Violence & Conflict. Easy Sociology. https://easysociology.com/sociology-of-violence-conflict/the-relationship-between-pierre-bourdieus-symbolic-violence-and-gender/
  • Elam, Amanda. (2008). Gender and entrepreneurship: A multilevel theory and analysis. Cheltenham, England: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd.
  • Giroux, Henry. (1989). Schooling for democracy: Critical pedagogy in the modern age. Oxford: Routledge.
  • Gray, Jordan. (2023). Review the patriarchal system. Study.com. https://study.com/learn/lesson/patriarchy-overview-examples-system.html
  • Grzby, M. (2016). “An explanation of honour-related killings of women in Europe through Bourdieu’s concept of symbolic violence and masculine domination”. London: Sage, 64(7), 1036–1053.
  • Jenkins, Richard. (1992). Pierre Bourdieu. Oxford: Routledge.
  • Jones, Sally. (2015). “You would expect the successful person to be the man: Gendered symbolic violence in UK HE entrepreneurship education”. International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, 7(3), 303–320. Bingley, United Kingdom.
  • Krais, Beate. (1993). “Gender and symbolic violence: Female oppression in the light of Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of social practice”. In Craig Calhoun, Edward LiPuma, & oishe Postone (Eds.), Bourdieu: Critical perspectives. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  • Krook, Mona. & Restrepo Sanín. (2016). “Gender and political violence in Latin America: Concepts, debates and solutions”. Política y gobierno, 23(1), 127¬–162. Madrid, Spain.
  • Layer, G. (2002). “Developing inclusivity”. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 21(1), 3–12.
  • Lusasi, Justin. & Mwaseba, Dismas. (2020). “Gender inequality and symbolic violence in Women’s access to family land in the southern highlands of Tanzania”. Land, 9, issue 11, p. 1-14, https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:9:y:2020:i:11:p:468-:d:449067.
  • Mangan, Doireann, & Winter, Laura Anne. (2017). “(In)validation and (mis)recognition in higher education: The experiences of students from refugee backgrounds”. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 36(4), 486–502. https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.2017.1287131.
  • Muraco, Joel. (2024). “The family”. In R. Biswas-Diener & E. Diener (Eds.), Noba textbook series: Psychology. Champaign, IL: DEF publishers. http://noba.to/3htscypq
  • Murdock, George Peter. (1949). Social structure. London: Collier Macmillan Ltd.
  • Ruano, Rosario Martin. (2021). “(Re)locating translation within asymmetrical power dynamics”. In O. C. Cortés & E. Monzó-Nebot (Eds), Translating Asymmetry - Rewriting Power (pp. 335-360). http://gen.lib.rus.ec/book/index.php?md5=C02241A2B805AA87B88CDF29F0C003FB
  • Samuel, Chris. (2013). “Symbolic violence and collective identity: Pierre Bourdieu and the ethics of resistance”. Social Movement Studies, 12(4), 397–413. https://doi.org/10.1080/14742837.2013.823345.
  • Sayer, Andrew. (2005). The moral significance of class. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Schubert, Daniel. (2013). “Suffering/symbolic violence”. In Michael Grenfell (Ed.), Pierre Bourdieu: Key concepts. London: Routledge Publishing.
  • Sultana, Abeda. (2010). “Patriarchy and women’s subordination: A theoretical analysis”. Arts Faculty Journal, 1–18.
  • Sumit, Kanti Ghosh. (2024). “Body, dress, and symbolic capital: Multifaceted presentation of PUGREE in colonial governance of British India”. Textile, 24(2), 334–365. https://resolver.scholarsportal.info/resolve/14759756/v22i0002/334_bdascmicgobi.xml
  • Thapar-Björkert, Suruchi, Samelius, Lotta, and Sanghera, Gurchathen. (2016). “Exploring symbolic violence in the everyday: Misrecognition, condescension, consent and complicity”. Feminist Review, 112(1), 144–162.
  • Tomlinson, Michael, Enders, Jurgen, & Naidoo, Rajani. (2018). “The teaching excellence framework: Symbolic violence and the measured market in higher education”. Critical Studies in Education, 61(5), 627–642. https://doi.org/10.1080/17508487.2018.1553793
  • Uhlmann, Allon, and Uhlmann, Jennifer. (2005). “Embodiment below discourse: The internalized domination of the masculine perspective”. Women's Studies International Forum, 28(1), 93–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2005.02.007
  • Watson, Jo, & Widin, Jacqueline. (2015). “Maintaining the status quo: Symbolic violence in higher education”. Higher Education Research & Development, 34(3), 658–670.
  • Yorke, Mantz. (2001). “Outside benchmark expectations? Variations in non-completion rates in English higher education”. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 23(2), 147–158.
There are 43 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Translation and Interpretation Studies
Journal Section ÇEVİRİBİLİM / ARAŞTIRMA MAKALELERİ
Authors

Ahmed Elgindy This is me 0009-0001-5865-2592

Maria Sanchez 0000-0002-1751-1144

Early Pub Date April 27, 2025
Publication Date April 30, 2025
Submission Date December 14, 2024
Acceptance Date March 24, 2025
Published in Issue Year 2025 Volume: 10 Issue: 1

Cite

APA Elgindy, A., & Sanchez, M. (2025). Recognising the Misrecognised: Unmasking Symbolic Violence in our Social World and the Role of Translation. Söylem Filoloji Dergisi, 10(1), 434-448. https://doi.org/10.29110/soylemdergi.1601430