Artikel
Symbolic revolutions. Mobilizing a neglected Bourdieusian concept for historical sociology
The article builds on a recent literature that has sought to underscore the relevance of Bourdieu's field theory for historical-sociological analysis. It draws attention to symbolic revolutions, a concept that has been given short shrift in this literature and even in Bourdieu's own expositions of his field-theoretical apparatus. The article argues that symbolic revolutions denote a universal mechanism of field-internal change which extends and complements a conceptual battery of mostly structural universals of fields. In a synoptic reading of Bourdieu's field-theoretical work, the article fleshes out an ideal type of symbolic revolutions, with special regard to its dialectical features. It adds further analytical purchase to the concept by highlighting continuities and parallels with the work of Thomas Kuhn and Karl Mannheim. Finally, it argues that more recent studies by other authors on transformations in the psychiatric field, the field of social and human sciences, and the political field are in fact discussing instances of symbolic revolutions. It thus shows how the concept can help identify common properties among highly heterogeneous phenomena, opening up new avenues for historical-sociological investigations that can more systematically relate the general and the particular.
- Language
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Englisch
- Bibliographic citation
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Journal: Theory and Society ; ISSN: 1573-7853 ; Volume: 51 ; Year: 2021 ; Issue: 3 ; Pages: 487-510 ; Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands
- Classification
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Sozialwissenschaften, Soziologie, Anthropologie
- Subject
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Bourdieu
Field dynamics
Field theory
Historical sociology
Revolutions
Social change
- Event
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Geistige Schöpfung
- (who)
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Petzke, Martin
- Event
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Veröffentlichung
- (who)
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Springer Netherlands
- (where)
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Dordrecht
- (when)
-
2021
- DOI
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doi:10.1007/s11186-021-09467-9
- Last update
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10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET
Data provider
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. If you have any questions about the object, please contact the data provider.
Object type
- Artikel
Associated
- Petzke, Martin
- Springer Netherlands
Time of origin
- 2021
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