From: "Tobin Nellhaus" <nellhaus-AT-gis.net>
Subject: BHA: Re: RE: Neglect of Bhaskar/Philosophy of Science
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 10:57:39 -0400


Hi Erik--

For what it's worth, an article by Bridget Fowler has also suggested a link
between Bourdieu and CR.  I don't have the citation at hand, but it's in the
database at WSCR (www.raggedclaws.com/criticalrealism/ -- which everyone
should have in their bookmarks!).

But I too have doubts that for Bourdieu, relations exist on the same
ontological plane as the observed entities.  That would seem to contradict
Bourdieu's argument for the existence of various types of capital
(especially political and cultural) which structure the correlation between
social position and aesthetic tastes, habitus, etc.  The passage Colin
quotes certainly says as much.  And he constantly speaks of "structuring
structures" and the like in society.  Moreover, his emphasis on relations as
structures is very much in the Marxian tradition.  These ideas certainly
point to a CR notion of ontological depth, even if not in the same
terminology.

---
Tobin Nellhaus
nellhaus-AT-mail.com
"Faith requires us to be materialists without flinching": C.S. Peirce




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