From: "Kevin Murray" <kmurray-AT-mira.net>
Subject: RE: hysteresis
Date: Mon, 22 Feb 1999 20:53:18 +1100


> 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.

I used to think that 'hysteresis' referred to injury incurred in metal
stress, used as a metaphor for character formation. Thanks to this thread, I
now know better.

The following use of 'hysteresis' was found in Ian Steward & Martin
Golubitsky's Fearful Symmetry in which they discuss transition to gait:

"the speeds at which some transitions can occur can be different when the
speed is reduced rather than increased. This effect, known as _hysteresis_,
is associated with jump transitions and doesn't occur for continuous
transitions. Hysteresis occurs in a car with a reluctant driver who always
changes gear too late."

__________________________________________________
Kevin Murray
http://home.mira.net/~kmurray
Forecast for Melbourne Issued at 0505 on Monday the 22nd of February
1999 Fine. Cloudy at first but sunny periods developing. Light to
moderate east to southeasterly winds and fresh afternoon and evening
seabreezes. Max 30
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