Bourdieu and Marx: Practices of Critique - Paperback

by Gabriella Paolucci (Editor)

This new book gathers together essays concerning the strategic modes of appropriation that Bourdieu practiced with regard to Marx, together with their various outcomes. It is especially devoted to the practice of critique that both thinkers exercised vigilantly throughout their careers, as this is the terrain on which we can best illuminate the debt that Bourdieu acknowledged to Marx. Ongoing dialogue with the entire body of Marxian critique is a constant in Bourdieu's writings. This is most clearly evidenced by the adoption of a critical perspective on the social world that denotes a massive Marxian presence. It is reinforced by the repeated references to Marx's texts that the sociologist scatters throughout his works. Indeed, in the interlinked set of critiques underpinning the architecture of his work, in the plethora of questions he raises, and in the scientific practice he adopts, Bourdieu attaches himself to the Marxian model -- notwithstanding his polemical remarks and his own deviations, or, we might even say, by virtue of them. The book is divided into three interconnected sections for ease of access: critique of domination, critique of economic practices and theories, and critique of ideology. As the first volume in English to explore the relationship between Bourdieu and Marx, this book is vital reading for students and scholars of social and anthropological theory.

Back Jacket

This new book gathers together essays concerning the strategic modes of appropriation that Bourdieu practiced with regard to Marx, together with their various outcomes. It is especially devoted to the practice of critique that both thinkers exercised vigilantly throughout their careers, as this is the terrain on which we can best illuminate the debt that Bourdieu acknowledged to Marx. Ongoing dialogue with the entire body of Marxian critique is a constant in Bourdieu's writings. This is most clearly evidenced by the adoption of a critical perspective on the social world that denotes a massive Marxian presence. It is reinforced by the repeated references to Marx's texts that the sociologist scatters throughout his works. Indeed, in the interlinked set of critiques underpinning the architecture of his work, in the plethora of questions he raises, and in the scientific practice he adopts, Bourdieu attaches himself to the Marxian model -- notwithstanding his polemical remarks and his own deviations, or, we might even say, by virtue of them. The book is divided into three interconnected sections for ease of access: critique of domination, critique of economic practices and theories, and critique of ideology. As the first volume in English to explore the relationship between Bourdieu and Marx, this book is vital reading for students and scholars of social and anthropological theory​.
Gabriella Paolucci is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Florence, Italy. Her research interests include time uses and experience, urban spaces, security policies, symbolic violence and State, and social theory, particularly with reference to Marx, Rawls, Sartre, Heller, Foucault, Bourdieu. Among her publications on Pierre Bourdieu are: Bourdieu dopo Bourdieu (ed.), Turin, 2009; Introduzione a Bourdieu, Bari, 2011; "Key Concepts" and "The State and Economics" in Re-Thinking Economics: Exploring the Work of Pierre Bourdieu (eds. A. Cristoforou and M Lainé), London, 2015; Bourdieu & Marx: Pratiche della critica (ed.), Milan, 2018; and numerous articles on social sciences journals.

Author Biography

Gabriella Paolucci is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Florence, Italy. Her research interests include time uses and experience, urban spaces, security policies, symbolic violence and State, and social theory, particularly with reference to Marx, Rawls, Sartre, Heller, Foucault, Bourdieu. Among her publications on Pierre Bourdieu are: Bourdieu dopo Bourdieu (ed.), Turin, 2009; Introduzione a Bourdieu, Bari, 2011; "Key Concepts" and "The State and Economics" in Re-Thinking Economics: Exploring the Work of Pierre Bourdieu (eds. A. Cristoforou and M Lainé), London, 2015; Bourdieu & Marx: Pratiche della critica (ed.), Milan, 2018; and numerous articles on social sciences journals.