Jun 13
20130
commentsin Political sociology, Sociology of knowledge, Sociology of media
Tags Mediatic field Pierre Bourdieu Political field Symbolic capital Symbolic violence
The correspondences between political and mediatic field make the opinions expressed in the media into a reflection of the hegemonic political views. This is based on the exercise of a symbolic violence involving the imposition of some problems and censoring of others which usually would be those needing more discussion. Through this symbolic violence not only authoritative opinions are created, but also groups with voice which define how reality is seen.
One of the best sociologists of all times, Pierre Bourdieu is also one of the least understood. Many attribute this to his difficult writing style. Others say that social science is very difficult: if we start from the premise that we think we know how the social world operates, it is not surprising to see that when someone explains the complexity of the social world, we do not understand anything. It is because the things explained are so strange and so different from how we think they are that we offer a brutal resistance.
Aug 25
20100
commentsin Epistemology social sciences, Social theory
Tags Epistemological break Pierre Bourdieu Self-analysis Social structure
The epistemological break is not a technical, non continuous and consciously planned process. It is an undecided and infinite social process determined essentially by social conditions affecting the individual. An effective epistemological break hardly can take place without performing previously a rupture with both the common and the cultivated thought. And doing this means breaking with the social groups which are the spokesmen of such thought patterns.
