File spoon-archives/bourdieu.archive/bourdieu_1997/bourdieu.9709, message 19


From: "Paula Villa" <Paula.F.Villa-AT-rz.ruhr-uni-bochum.de>
Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 16:22:15 +0001
Subject: Re: field of body?


Dear Sun Yong Kwon, dear list

are you still out there? I just now come to reply to your interesting 
mail on habitus as bodily dispositions. It would be interesting to 
exchange some ideas on it, since I'm working on exactly that topic. 
In the context of my PhD, I'm trying to connect some recent feminist 
notions of subjectivity (Braidotti, Alcoff, de Lauretis) which view 
the gendered subject as equally constructed by class and ethnicity 
(or 'race') to some sociological discussions. Following that line, I 
analyze various theories on the embodiment of social differences. 
There is already an extensive analysis of emodiment of sex/gender and 
its constructions. But all these perspectives fail to include other 
dimensions such  as class and ethnicity. Thus, I find Bourdieu's work 
extremely inspiring, especially concerning the notion of 'hexis' as 
the bodily dimension of the habitus.

I try to use his notion of 'hexis', defining it as 'the body as symbolic capital'. 
This allows me to link it with the mentioned social-constructivist 
approaches in the field of gender-studies. Bourdieu's studies on the 
kabylian society are especially fruitful in this sense. Also the 
famous 'La domination masculine' is of great use. I find the 
'distinction'-book limited in that sense, but still inspiring. Any 
suggestions where to find more on his notion of 'hexis' (besides 
Turner and Shilling)?? 

does this inspire you to any comment? I would very much appreciate 
any ideas, suggestions, comments, remarks from anyone out there 
working on the issue of 'hexis' or emodiment of class.

thanks in advance

Paula

PS: Shawn Lindsay had some bibliographical tips, if I remember 
correctly. Still there?
**************
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Paula-Irene Villa
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Language speaks us
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