This book will give unique insight into how a new generation of Bourdieusian researchers apply Bourdieu to contemporary issues. It will provide a discussion of the working mechanisms of thinking through and/or with Bourdieu when analysing data. In each chapter, individual authors discuss and reflect upon their own research and the ways in which they put Bourdieu to work. The aim of this book is not to just to provide examples of the development of Bourdieusian research, but for each author to reflect on the ways in which they came across Bourdieu's work, why it speaks to them (including a reflexive consideration of their own background), and the way in which it is thus useful in their thinking. Many of the authors were introduced to Bourdieu's works after his death. The research problems which the individual authors tackle are contextualised in a different time and space to the one Bourdieu occupied when he was developing his conceptual framework. This book will demonstrate how his concepts can be applied as "thinking tools" to understand contemporary social reality. Throughout Bourdieu's career, he argued that sociologists need to create an epistemological break, to abandon our common sense - or as much as we can - and to formulate findings from our results. In essence, we are putting Bourdieu to work to provide a structural constructivist approach to social reality anchored through empirical reflexivity.

About the Author

Jenny Thatcher has recently completed her PhD at the University of East London. Her PhD focused on Polish migration and the education market in the UK in which she used a Bourdieusian framework. She is a co-founder and co-convenor of the BSA Bourdieu Study Group and member of the Early Career Researcher editorial board for The Sociological Review.

Nicola Ingram is a Lecturer in Education and Social Justice at the University of Bath. She has published widely on classed and gendered inequalities in education. Nicola is co-convenor of the BSA Bourdieu Study Group and the BSA Education Study Group.

Ciaran Burke is a Lecturer at Ulster University and author of "Culture, Capitals and Graduate Futures: Degrees of class" (forthcoming Routledge). His research focuses on classed inequalities with a particular interest in graduate employment trajectories. He is a co-convenor of the BSA Bourdieu Study Group.

Jessie Abrahams is one of the co-convenors of the Bourdieu Study Group. Jessie is a PhD student at Cardiff University. Her thesis is focussed on the effect of the increased university tuition fees on young peoples' "aspirations". She has been researching in the area of class and education for a number of years now and is also part of the Paired Peers research team. Paired Peers is a six year Leverhulme trust funded project exploring the impact of class, gender and institution on a cohort of young people as they transition to, through and from university.

Reviews

'The development of Bourdieu's intellectual heritage in UK sociology' is a wonderful, exhilarating read, full of innovative ideas and new ways of thinking about perennial social concerns from social mobility to migration. Its wide-ranging, fascinating insights into how Bourdieu's thinking can be developed for the 21st century breathe fresh life into established social theories. It is a 'must-read' not only for those trying to make sense of Bourdieu but for everyone interested in wider philosophical and political issues of inequality, identity and the role of the state.

Diane Reay, Professor of Education, Cambridge University, UK

This book is a truly refreshing and accessible account of Bourdieu's work; it breaks with the traditional jargon filled sociological work of the past whilst still managing to discuss highly complex ideas. The authors each strike a delicate balance between discussing research, theory and personal experience. I would recommend this book to all students with an interest in inequality and Bourdieusian sociology.

Annabel Wilson, PhD Student, Cardiff University, UK

Book Information
ISBN 9781138596351
Author Jenny Thatcher
Format Paperback
Page Count 168
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 294g