Bourdieu, Habitus and Field: A Critical Realist Approach

Winner of the Cheryl Frank Memorial Prize 2024 from the International Association for Critical Realism.This innovative book argues that establishing an ontological framework makes a substantial difference to Pierre Bourdieu’s core concepts of habitus and field. Winner of the Cheryl Frank Memorial Prize 2024 from the International Association for Critical Realism.This innovative book argues that establishing an ontological framework makes a substantial difference to Pierre Bourdieu’s core concepts of habitus and field. In doing so it addresses the charges of determinism, tautology, and circularity that have long been directed at habitus and field. Teasing out Bourdieu’s ontology, the book offers a novel critical realist reading of Bourdieu, arguing that while Bourdieu explored the epistemological basis of his key concepts, he neglects their ontological underpinnings, and that elaborating on this adds a layer of depth and complexity which enriches Bourdieu’s project. In addition to articulating the synergies between Roy Bhaskar’s critical realism and Bourdieu’s oeuvre, this book extends Bourdieu’s insights in new and exciting directions by developing an ontologically informed Bourdieusian account of institutions as explored through the lens of institutional racism and by outlining a unique methodological approach to habitus.