From: "Eric Fertain" <eric_fertain-AT-hotmail.com>
Subject: Is Bourdieu an epistemist ? no ! A philosopher ? No ! A sociologist ? Yes !
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1998 13:14:26 PDT


j laari wrote:
 
> > The only epistemology that sociologists need is to be convincing in
> > there empirical works.
> 
> I don't think any kind of empirical work as such makes a substitute
> for epistemology. Rather it's methodology that's sociological
> counterpart to epistemology in philosophy. I think you were aiming at
> this. It's the same thing with "metaphysics" or "ontology" proper:
> we'd better concentrate on sociological theory instead of trying to
> provide empirical arguments to logical problems.

I don't agree. In fact, the concept of scientific field (Bourdieu have
written an article in ARSS on it) has logical consequenses : if the
description of the social reality maded by a sociologist is wrong or not
compleate it will be criticize by other scientists, with arguments that
all members of the scientific field will able to accept. The social
gratification of each member of the scientific field--which is a social
and historial configuration very particular--depends of the adhequation
of his result to the reality (in his case real social process that have
effectively arrived). Science is the construction that result of this
process. It is a practical process and the normal social activity of
scientists. Epistemology is a rationalisation a posteriori of the
practices of scientists. The arguments and the category of empirical
evidences other scientists and other members of society are able to
accept depend of a social and historical evolution of the way of
thinking. So there is no "logical problems" for sociology, only
interpretative problems of the empiric facts. 
The only sociological problem is : how to explain this attitude or this
behavior ? So he has to construct a convincing interpretation. 
Actualy there is only three way to explain behaviors
1) the individual liberty (various : the rational decision)
2) the determination of unconscient (oedipe, psychanalism)
2) the cultural and social determination (the historical construction of
preferences and mental dispositions : habitus)

So the theoretical sociology proceed of practical and empiric problems
(Durkheim : how explain suicides ?) and not of an abstract epistemology.

> Part of the problem is of course that PB himself is trained in
> philosophy instead of sociology. It's understandable that he tends to
> talk about ontological issues and such. And he had something to say
> about, say, "social ontology" (remember his criticisms of
> neokantianism in his book on theory of practice,
> "Outline"-and-something in English). 

all Bourdieu's work is to construct a empirical sociology and to avoid
philosophical way of thinking the social facts.

                                Eric Fertain

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