Bourdieu, Structure and Agency

Paper Summary:

This piece assesses the extent to which Bourdieu offers a distinctive solution to the problem of structure and agency. However, in order to accurately assess Bourdieu's solution it is necessary to examine the assessments of other theorists such as G.H. Mead. Succinct and detailed definitions of structure and agency are offered. The natural dialectic and opposition of the two concepts is examined in depth along with the manner in which they interact with, and impact upon one another. Following this a full and detailed examination of Pierre Bourdieu's attempt to offer a complete solution to the natural dialectic of structure and agency is provided. A full exposition of Bourdieu's empirical methodology is offered along with the emphasis on real life evidence to support his assertions. Above all, the writer maintains that it is in the theory of 'habitas' that Bourdieu is capable of uniting the competing terms and providing social science with a competent and workable solution.

From the Paper:

" Structure within social scientific definition refers to the social norms and institutions that shape human beings and society as a whole. Examples of such norms and institutions include class, religion and economic forces. Alternatively, agency is the level to which the free will or personal choice of each human being allows us to react to the situations and challenges we are faced with during the course of our lives. How then do these apposing conceptions interact with, and impact upon one another? In particular, given the natural dialectic that exits, how do structures shape agency and thus in turn how does agency react to those structures, and if possible change them? Such questions have caused considerable consternation within the ranks of social science for many years, and significant problems arise from attempting to understand the world we live in through the use of agency and structure. Given this, there is an inevitable progression that often results in one side becoming dominant when agency is explained in terms of structure or vice versa. Although considerable numbers of social theorists have attempted to develop ideas that incorporate both aspects, many have ended up succumbing to determinism, whether that is on one side or the other."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Baldwin, J. (1986) George Herbert Mead, London: SAGE.
• Bourdieu, P. (1990) The Logic of Practice, Translated by Richard Nice, Cambridge: Polity Press.
• Bourdieu, P. (1985) Outline of a Theory of Practice. Translated by Richard Nice, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
• Bourdieu P. (2000) Pascalian Meditations. Translated by Richard Nice, Stanford: Stanford University Press.
• Giddens A. (1984) The Constitution of Society: Outline of the theory of Structuration, Oxford: Basil Blackwell Press.

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