Date: Tue, 21 Nov 1995 23:01:21 -0800
From: Ralph Dumain <rdumain-AT-igc.apc.org>
Subject: DISTINCTION, CULTURAL CAPITAL & HEIDEGGER


The various summaries I have read concerning distinction, taste,
and cultural capital leave me with an aching question.  Does
Bourdieu see this issue merely as one of arbitrary social
convention seeking to maintain a cultural elite?  Does Bourdieu
admit of the possibility of any aesthetic standards which are not
merely arbitrary conventions to serve class/status interests?

I think we should discuss this and see whether there are any
limitations or shortcomings to this type of analysis.  It also
relates to Bourdieu's work on Martin Heidegger.  I love to see
Heidegger put in his place.  Nonetheless, does Bourdieu's account
of the social provenance and motive of Heidegger's philosophy
convincingly explain its social existence?  It seems by the
summary I uploaded here that Heidegger too was looking to enhance
his own distinction and cultural capital.  This I do not doubt,
but I'm still wondering about the limitations of this type of
analysis.