Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 14:32:54 -0500 Subject: Re: [BOU:] Derrida and Bourdieu From: Michael Franklin <frank061-AT-umn.edu> Here's the 1999 discussion on Derrida and Bourdieu. Five separate emails were posted with the subject line "derrida and bourdieu." I've copied them below. --mf Part One: File bourdieu.archive/bourdieu_1999/bourdieu.9907, message 3 From owner-bourdieu-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Wed Jul 7 01:05:45 1999 Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 18:55:24 -1000 From: Houston Wood <hlwood-AT-aloha.net> Subject: Bourdieu on Derrida I have just finished Bourdieu's Distinction and am perplexed by the "vulgar critique of Derrida," which closes the book. Bourdieu argues that Derrida is, ultimately, only playing the cultural game of philosophy very well, producing more philosophy "like a kind of endless fire" without altering the field of philosophy in any fundamental way. I don't understand how Bourdieu conceives that his own work is different--it seems to me to be a cultural production within the field of sociology and to leave that field basically unaltered (and unescaped). His frequent explanations of the "problems" with both the subjective and objective approaches that his own reflexive approach "solves/resolves" is exemplary of this--who cares about these two approaches or their resolution except social scientists? Such discussions require participation in the sociology game, just as Derrida's issues require participation in the Kantian philosophy game. Bourdieu's achievement depends on seeing his work as a response to Durkheim, Merleu-Ponty, Levi-Strauss, and Sartre, to earlier French sociology, yes? I mean, Bourdieu earns no distinction--doesn't seem especially smart or interesting--unless one has the cultural capital that makes one an authorized participant in the professional sociology game. Bourdieu's critique of Derrida thus seems sophomoric, unless Bourdieu envisions his own work as somehow escaping or radically transforming the sociology field in some way. But, from what I know of his institutes and work in France, he has simply assumed the role as Top Sociologist, maybe Top Intellectual, in fields/game that are little changed since when Sartre and Levi-Strauss held these positions in these fields. Actually, I assume I am misunderstanding something essential, for it seems unlikely that Distinction (about which I've heard so many raves) could end in such an obviously ineffective critique of Derrida. Would someone kindly help me out here? Thanks. ********************************************** Houston Wood, Academic Coordinator for Writing Hawaii Pacific University, Honolulu, HI 96813 808-544-1118 fax:808-544-0862 hlwood-AT-aloha.net ********************************************************************** Contributions: bourdieu-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Commands: majordomo-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Requests: bourdieu-approval-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Part Two: File bourdieu.archive/bourdieu_1999/bourdieu.9907, message 4 From owner-bourdieu-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Wed Jul 7 03:36:12 1999 Date: Wed, 07 Jul 1999 09:30:18 +0200 From: Gunther Martens <gunther.martens-AT-rug.ac.be> Subject: Re: Bourdieu on Derrida > unlikely that Distinction (about which I've heard so many raves) could > end in such an obviously ineffective critique of Derrida. I'm in no position at all to discuss this myself (although I share your unease), but a very insightful treatment of the analytical and epistemological issues bearing on Bourdieu's 'reading' of both Kant and Derrida is Geldof, Koenraad: "Authority, Reading, Reflexivity: Pierre Bourdieu and the Aesthetic Judgment of Kant", in: Diacritics 27:1 (1997), 20-43. Gunther Martens Ghent University, Belgium ********************************************************************** Contributions: bourdieu-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Commands: majordomo-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Requests: bourdieu-approval-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Part Three: File bourdieu.archive/bourdieu_1999/bourdieu.9907, message 5 From owner-bourdieu-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Wed Jul 7 04:33:02 1999 Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1999 08:32:32 GMT From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Ing=F3lfur?= =?iso-8859-1?Q?_?= =?iso-8859-1?Q?=C1sgeir?Subject: Re: Bourdieu on Derrida Dear Houston, might the answer have anything to do with the amount of empirical work that is behind Distinction? Certainly, Bourdieu was not the "Top Guy" when it was written; but is he now? And why would he be? Best regards Ing=F3lfur At 06:55 PM 7/6/99 -1000, you wrote: >I have just finished Bourdieu's Distinction and am perplexed by the "vulgar >critique of Derrida," which closes the book. Bourdieu argues that Derrida >is, ultimately, only playing the cultural game of philosophy very well, >producing more philosophy "like a kind of endless fire" without altering >the field of philosophy in any fundamental way. > >I don't understand how Bourdieu conceives that his own work is >different--it seems to me to be a cultural production within the field of >sociology and to leave that field basically unaltered (and unescaped). His >frequent explanations of the "problems" with both the subjective and >objective approaches that his own reflexive approach "solves/resolves" is >exemplary of this--who cares about these two approaches or their resolution >except social scientists? Such discussions require participation in the >sociology game, just as Derrida's issues require participation in the >Kantian philosophy game. > >Bourdieu's achievement depends on seeing his work as a response to >Durkheim, Merleu-Ponty, Levi-Strauss, and Sartre, to earlier French >sociology, yes? I mean, Bourdieu earns no distinction--doesn't seem >especially smart or interesting--unless one has the cultural capital that >makes one an authorized participant in the professional sociology game. > >Bourdieu's critique of Derrida thus seems sophomoric, unless Bourdieu >envisions his own work as somehow escaping or radically transforming the >sociology field in some way. But, from what I know of his institutes and >work in France, he has simply assumed the role as Top Sociologist, maybe >Top Intellectual, in fields/game that are little changed since when Sartre >and Levi-Strauss held these positions in these fields. > >Actually, I assume I am misunderstanding something essential, for it seems >unlikely that Distinction (about which I've heard so many raves) could end >in such an obviously ineffective critique of Derrida. Would someone kindly >help me out here? Thanks. > >********************************************** >Houston Wood, Academic Coordinator for Writing >Hawaii Pacific University, Honolulu, HI 96813 >808-544-1118 fax:808-544-0862 hlwood-AT-aloha.net > >********************************************************************** >Contributions: bourdieu-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu >Commands: majordomo-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu >Requests: bourdieu-approval-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu > > ------------------------------------- Ing=F3lfur =C1sgeir J=F3hannesson d=F3sent vi=F0 H=E1sk=F3lann =E1 Akureyri Heima: Drekagili 5, 603 Akureyri s. 462 1694, s=EDmi =E1 vinnusta=F0 463 0909 fax: 463 0999 heimas=ED=F0a: http://rvik.ismennt.is/~ingo Litast um af Hjallh=F3l - vef=FAtg=E1fa greina og erinda, 1981-1998: http://rvik.ismennt.is/~ingo/LITAST.HTM Associate Professor, The University of Akureyri Thingvallastraeti 23 IS-602 Akureyri, Iceland tel. 354 462 1694 e-mail: ingo-AT-unak.is ********************************************************************** Contributions: bourdieu-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Commands: majordomo-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Requests: bourdieu-approval-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Part Four: File bourdieu.archive/bourdieu_1999/bourdieu.9907, message 6 From owner-bourdieu-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Wed Jul 7 05:07:31 1999 Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1999 10:12:56 +0000 From: R.J.R.Cook-AT-reading.ac.uk (Roger Cook) Subject: Re: Bourdieu on Derrida Actually, I assume I am misunderstanding something essential, for it seems unlikely that Distinction (about which I've heard so many raves) could end in such an obviously ineffective critique of Derrida. Would someone kindly help me out here? If you sincerely want to understand this better, I would suggest that you read Bourdieu's book 'The Political Ontology of Martin Heidegger'. ********************************************************************** Contributions: bourdieu-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Commands: majordomo-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Part Five: File bourdieu.archive/bourdieu_1999/bourdieu.9907, message 7 From owner-bourdieu-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Wed Jul 7 08:59:28 1999 Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1999 08:59:39 -0400 (EDT) From: George Free <aw570-AT-freenet.toronto.on.ca> Subject: Re: Bourdieu on Derrida Its been a while since I worked through this, but if I remember correctly the thrust of Bourdieu's critique is that Derrida does not pursue deconstruction far enough to understand the social basis of philosophy and of his own critique of philosophy. He [Derrida] is thus subject to the illusions of philosophers, i.e., that their work deals with elements of thought that are in some way non-historical, non-social, which he otherwise criticizes. If Bourdieu criticizes Derrida, it is not because he doesn't admire certain aspects of his work. Rather, Bourdieu wants to push Derrida's work one step further. Sociology itself can be viewed in many ways as a critique of philosophy. Whereas philosophers have tended to analyze thought as ultimately resting on universal, logical forms, sociologists (since Durkheim) have sought to show how forms of thought are based in--or are expressions of--social relations. George Free On Tue, 6 Jul 1999, Houston Wood wrote: > I have just finished Bourdieu's Distinction and am perplexed by the "vulgar > critique of Derrida," which closes the book. Bourdieu argues that Derrida > is, ultimately, only playing the cultural game of philosophy very well, > producing more philosophy "like a kind of endless fire" without altering > the field of philosophy in any fundamental way. > > I don't understand how Bourdieu conceives that his own work is > different--it seems to me to be a cultural production within the field of > sociology and to leave that field basically unaltered (and unescaped). His > frequent explanations of the "problems" with both the subjective and > objective approaches that his own reflexive approach "solves/resolves" is > exemplary of this--who cares about these two approaches or their resolution > except social scientists? Such discussions require participation in the > sociology game, just as Derrida's issues require participation in the > Kantian philosophy game. > > Bourdieu's achievement depends on seeing his work as a response to > Durkheim, Merleu-Ponty, Levi-Strauss, and Sartre, to earlier French > sociology, yes? I mean, Bourdieu earns no distinction--doesn't seem > especially smart or interesting--unless one has the cultural capital that > makes one an authorized participant in the professional sociology game. > > Bourdieu's critique of Derrida thus seems sophomoric, unless Bourdieu > envisions his own work as somehow escaping or radically transforming the > sociology field in some way. But, from what I know of his institutes and > work in France, he has simply assumed the role as Top Sociologist, maybe > Top Intellectual, in fields/game that are little changed since when Sartre > and Levi-Strauss held these positions in these fields. > > Actually, I assume I am misunderstanding something essential, for it seems > unlikely that Distinction (about which I've heard so many raves) could end > in such an obviously ineffective critique of Derrida. Would someone kindly > help me out here? Thanks. > > ********************************************** > Houston Wood, Academic Coordinator for Writing > Hawaii Pacific University, Honolulu, HI 96813 > 808-544-1118 fax:808-544-0862 hlwood-AT-aloha.net > > ********************************************************************** > Contributions: bourdieu-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu > Commands: majordomo-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu > Requests: bourdieu-approval-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu > ********************************************************************** Contributions: bourdieu-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Commands: majordomo-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Requests: bourdieu-approval-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu --- StripMime Warning -- MIME attachments removed --- This message may have contained attachments which were removed. 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