File spoon-archives/bourdieu.archive/bourdieu_2004/bourdieu.0410, message 17


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

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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

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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

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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'.


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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
 >


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