Power is the central organizing principle of all social life, from culture and education to stratification and taste. And there is no more prominent name in the analysis of power than that of noted sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. Throughout his career, Bourdieu challenged the commonly held view that symbolic power - the power to dominate - is solely symbolic. He emphasized that symbolic power helps create and maintain social hierarchies, which form the very bedrock of political life. By the time of his death in 2002, Bourdieu had become a leading public intellectual, and his argument about the more subtle and influential ways that cultural resources and symbolic categories prevail in power arrangements and practices had gained broad recognition. In "Symbolic Power, Politics, and Intellectuals", David L. Swartz delves deeply into Bourdieu's work to show how central - but often overlooked - power and politics are to an understanding of sociology. Arguing that power and politics also stand at the core of Bourdieu's sociology, Swartz illuminates Bourdieu's political project for the social sciences, as well as Bourdieu's own political activism, explaining how sociology is not just science but also a crucial form of political engagement.

About the Author
David L. Swartz is assistant professor of sociology at Boston University and a senior editor of Theory and Society. He is the author of Culture and Power: The Sociology of Pierre Bourdieu and coeditor of After Bourdieu: Influence, Critique, Elaboration.

Reviews
"Symbolic Power, Politics, and Intellectuals represents a major step forward in the ongoing task of coming to terms with the legacy of Pierre Bourdieu. David L. Swartz makes a compelling case that Bourdieu has much to offer both the field of political sociology and the study of power." (Thomas Medvetz, author of Think Tanks in America)"



Book Information
ISBN 9780226925011
Author David Swartz
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint University of Chicago Press
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
Weight(grams) 498g
Dimensions(mm) 227mm * 157mm * 18mm