Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2003 09:34:59 +0200
From: Guenter Trendler <g.trendler-AT-gmx.de>
Subject: Re: [BOU:] Where's the agency in agent?




karl.maton schrieb:

> Interesting discussion.... it began with the agency question and we've 
> now got to a point of tension in Bourdieu. 

This is not a coincidence. In my view it is still about agency resp. 
freedom or unconditioned agency.

>
> Much like Durkheim, Bourdieu seems to hold both quite a strong realist 
> epistemology at times AND a strong perspectivism too. Bourdieu seems 
> to balance quite precariously at times between developing a strong 
> sociology of knowledge (successfully) and a desire (unfulfilled) to 
> institute a realist epistemology.
>
> Just a thought

Thanks for sharing this thought with us. I also think there is a certain 
tension between realism and perspectivism (relativisim) in Bourdieu and 
all this is about that.

Thanks also to Cam and Tom for their replies to my previous questions.

Cam wrote:

>1. Is there an agent (habitus) independent of a field?
>  
>
>
>Firstly, let's not conflate agent and habitus just yet. These are not 
>synonyms. An agent has a habitus. A habitus presents dispositions, 
>practices and strategies to/for an agent. An agent always already has a 
>habitus - but this is co-presence, not identity
>
What is the agent apart from the habitus? (Is this agent free or not?)

But in all it seems we agree that:
1. There is no habitus apart form a field in the sense that there is a 
mutual relationship or codependency between them, and
2. Bourdieu is also 'just' a mortal agent, with a habitus, inextricably 
within fields, with no special transcendent powers.

3. Ok, so if Bourdieu is also part of a field his behavior, perception 
and thinking, in word his habitus, is also bound and conditioned by a 
field. As he writes in "Méditations pascaliennes":  "C'est a dire que, 
une fois que l'on accepté le point de vue constitutif d'un champ, on ne 
peut plus prendre sur lui un point the vue extériur: (...)" (p. 116) 
[Unfortunately I only have the french original. For the english 
translation you have to look into Chap. 3, section 2, paragraph 2.] Not 
only is he not able to reflect from the outside on himself but also he 
isn't able to see the world objectively but only subjectively 'through' 
his habitus. (This is the point of course where perspectivism and 
realism collide.)

We still agree?

Guenter


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