This short critical introduction to Pierre Bourdieu’s thought has been comprehensively brought up to date for the third edition. Where Bourdieu’s own writings are often complex, even ambiguous, Richard Jenkins is direct, concise and to the point. Emphasizing Bourdieu’s contributions to sociological and anthropological epistemology, Jenkins also deals in detail with Bourdieu's substantive studies of education, social stratification, cultural consumption, language, and rural society in transition. A model of clarity and insight, this book offers an accessible introduction to Bourdieu’s work for students, scholars, and all those interested in social thought.
1. Introducing Pierre Bourdieu
2. Reflexive Sociology
3. From Rules to Strategies
4. Experiments in Epistemology
5. Practice, Habitus and Field
6. Symbolic Violence and Social Reproduction
7. Culture, Status and Distinction
8. The Uses of Language
9. Using Bourdieu
10. Reading Bourdieu
Biography
Richard Jenkins was trained as a social anthropologist and has conducted empirical research in Northern Ireland, England, Wales and Denmark, looking at the transition to adulthood, racism and ethnicity, national identity, moral panics and popular belief. He is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Sheffield.
