File spoon-archives/bourdieu.archive/bourdieu_2000/bourdieu.0007, message 1


Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 20:14:19 +0000
From: jens kjaerulff <etnojens-AT-au.dk>
Subject: work and family life: applicability of B.'s concept of



I am currently concluding anthropological fieldwork, where I center on what
is known as "telework" (working from home through an internet connection). 

What I want to investigate, is what happens when two different spheres of
life - that of working life, and that of domestic life ("family"), are
being brought together in the same physical premises.

An important tenet is that there is a TENTION between work and domestic
life, which, through the novel practice of telework, may occasion shifts in
the meanings of work and domestic life, through the processes of their
practical engagement. While work and family life thus may be seen as
partially irreconciliable, they also in certain ways sustain one another -
domestic labor such as childcare is thus a prerequisite for working life.
In other words work and family life can both be seen to sustain one another
in certain respects, while also be seen as inherently conflicting in other
respects.

My inquiry to this list concerns my attempt to theorize shifts and
processes of change in the meaning and practice of work and family
occasioned by the novel practices of telework.

I have been inspired by Fredrik Barth and his notion of "traditions of
knowledge", and tentatively conceptualized work and family as such separate
"traditions". Perhaps Max Weber's notions of  "life spheres" might also be
useful ( I have yet to explore the latter possibility thoroughly).

But what I think might be lacking somewhat in Barth's framework, is a
sufficient account of relationships between different "traditions"
(domains, life spheres, whatever we choose to call it). As is evident, the
issue of relationships between such "traditions" is central in my study.

Hence my inquiry to this list.


It has been a long time since I read Bourdieu, and at that time I had
entirely different questions in mind.

I could imagine that I might be able to draw on Bourdieu's notion of
"fields", in a fashion similar to my tentative usage of Barth notion of
"traditions". (please feel free to suggest other Bourdieu'sian concepts
which might more adequately capture the sense of 'domains' such as work and
family).

What I would like some feedback on is:

1) Does Bourdieu (somewhere) deal extensively with "competing fields" or
"conflicting fields" (such as work and family life) - in short, does he
deal extensively with relationships between fields?

and if so, where am I best adviced to read up on his notion of fields (or
whatever) with this particular problematic in mind (exact references, please)?

Thank you very much for any feedback
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