Date: Sun, 21 Feb 1999 11:26:09 -0500
From: Michael Smylie <mgsmylie-AT-netdotcom.com>
Subject: Re: hysteresis


I believe that Bourdieu's used the concept of hysteresis (An
Introduction to Reflexive Sociology, p. 130) to describe the lack of
congruence between behavior prescribed by personal habitus and its
relation to the properties of an extant field. The "specific inertia" of
habitus is a type of "historical artifact" which accounts for the
incongruence between the two.   

Deborah Kilgore wrote:
> 
> Hi, Peter.  Hysteresis is described briefly on pg. 130 of Invitation to
> Reflexive Sociology.  Rather than a lag, as you discussed in your first
> post, I think it is more where the habitus is so out of sync with the
> field, that individuals practice in a way that seems to make no sense on
> the surface, but would make more sense if we knew the genesis of their
> habitus.  What do you think?
> 
> I knew I read about this somewhere!
> 
> Debbie
> 
> Peter Gates wrote:
> >
> > Hi
> >
> > some while ago I asked a question for information on where Pierre Bourdieu
> > had used the concept of hysteresis.
> >
> > I got some responses suggesting I look at the index of Homo Academicus and
> > Distinction.
> >
> > I did that but couldn't find "hysteresis"in either. Am I going mad? Have I
> > got it wrong? Hysteresis does not appear in the index of Harker et. al.'s
> > book either.
> >
> > The notion of changes in the habitus does seem to me to be important -
> > especially in relation to how influences, pressures and changes in external
> > structures and discourses and in the field  can have an effect upon not
> > just on practices, but also on habitus.  Isn't this process and
> > inter-relationship akin to Gidden's structuration theory - but at a much
> > more empirical and practical level?
> >
> > Peter
> >
> > Best wishes,
> > Peter
> >
> > **************************************************
> > Peter Gates
> > Convenor
> > Centre for the Study of Mathematics Education
> > University of Nottingham
> > Nottingham, NG7 2RD
> > Great Britain
> > Tel: +44 115 951 4432
> > Fax: +44 115 979 1506
> >
> > http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/csme
> > **************************************************
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> 
> --
> 
> ***********************
> Deborah Kilgore
> Texas A&M University
> Fue tan bello vivir cuando vivias!
> How lovely it was to live while you lived!
> - Pablo Neruda, from "Final"
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