Symbolic Interactionism for Dorks
January 21, 2009 by SocProf and tagged Humor, Microsociology, Social Interaction, Social Theory, Sociology, Symbolic Interactionism
Posted in Human Rights, Microsociology, Social Interaction, Social Theory, Sociology, Symbolic Interactionism | 2 Comments »
January 27th, 2009 at 10:36 am
Christine, would you also place Pierre Bourdieu together with the Symbolic Interactionist school? For years, I’ve naturally placed him the Marxist/social-conflict school, put lately after intense discussions with students about some of his ideas on “Distinction” and “Symbolic capital” , I think he sometimes tends to swing towards a symbolic interaction approach. What do you think?
Ever read his book, “On Television”?
January 27th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
I wouldn’t place Bourdieu with the SI school. The structuralist and post-structuralist components of his work is too strong for that.
However, Bourdieu was a fan of symbolic interactionist work (hence his getting Goffman translated in French) and he was smart enough to understand the value of the SI / ethnomethodological approach.
What he was trying to do, I think, in his research, through his concepts of habitus and fields was to highlight the continuum of domination from the most macro to the most micro-levels.
Yes, I did read “On Television”. His latter work was more polemical and political than analytical but it was interesting and caused quite a kerfuffle in the media in France. Like here, the MSM talking heads have a high opinion of themselves and do not like to be questioned.