Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1998 19:15:05 +0100 (BST)
From: Karl <kam13-AT-hermes.cam.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: Revenge of Jeffrey Alexander? But revenge from what?



Hi,

Perhaps we ought to distinguish between discussing two forms of the
possible reasons for Alexander's criticisms:

(i) strategic reasons: i.e. Alexander is counterattacking because Bourdieu
criticised x, y, z; or Alexander is saying this because he is a
neo-functionalist.
and

(ii) whether he has made any good points.  

That Alexander's own position may have flaws may not necessarily have any
implications for his critique of Bourdieu.  It's been a while, but my
memory of the paper is not of the 'angry' parts but of some of the
questions which he puts to Bourdieu's approach, ones anyone wishing to
adopt that approach needs to at least consider.  

I found his critique of the notion of habitus rather interesting, though
incomplete.  If I recall correctly, he pushes the concept and argues that
when pushed it ends up being a form of social reductionism as it reduces
the structuring of practices in the end to the structuring of material
conditions.  This is certainly something which I feel needs to be thought
about, rather than (and here I'm preempting rather than commentating)
echoing Bourdieu's claims about what his concepts do or don't do.  

Best wishes,

Karl


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Karl Maton
School of Education, 17 Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1QA
Tel. + 44 (0) 1223 336288
Fax: + 44 (0) 1223 332894
email: kam13-AT-cam.ac.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------


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