This book is Pierre Bourdieu’s’ discourse on method’: the first and only comprehensive introduction to, and overview of, the work of one of the world’s most influential and imaginative social theorists. Systematic and accessible, it is the ideal entree into the core of Bourdieu’s wide-ranging oeuvre.
In Part I (Toward a Social Praxeology), Loic Wacquant provides keys to the broader economy and inner logic of Bourdieu’s work, sketching out the contours of his intellectual landscape and dissecting the structure of his theory of knowledge, practice, and society.
Part II (The Purpose of Reflexive Sociology) takes the form of a dialogue in which Bourdieu and Wacquant discuss central concepts of Bourdieu’s work, confront the main objections and criticism it has met, and outline Bourdieu’s views of the relation of sociology to philosophy, economics, history, and politics.
Part III (The Paris Workshop) captures Bourdieu in action in the Seminar room, addressing his students on the topic of how to practice the craft of reflexive sociology.
Amplified by examples, notes, tips on how to read Bourdieu, and an extensive bibliography, this book is indispensable for students and advanced scholars across the spectrum of the social sciences and the humanities.
Loïc Wacquant 