Abstract
Within this edited collection, the authors apply Bourdieu’s theoretical tools across a broad range of sociological problems in a fluid and nuanced style. At the crux of this book, and each of the 11 chapters accordingly, is a reflexive situation of the authors’ relationship to Bourdieu’s legacy; a powerful reminder of how the operationalisation of theory is often tied to one’s subjectivities. In chapter 1, the editors provide clear and concise explanations of Bourdieu’s concepts, granting the reader a rich understanding of how each component can be thought of and applied to practice. Chapter 2 sees Burke reemphasise the role of capital in perceptions of the ‘field of the possibles’ (p. 11). In chapter 3, McKenzie illuminates how the marginalised make claims for value, while Wallace considers the dynamics of ‘Black capital’ in chapter 4. Bowers-Brown discusses the intersections of capital and educational choice in chapter 5, while Garratt (chapter 6) illuminates the role of the body in constructions of racism and masculinities. Thatcher and Halvorsrud (chapter 7) explore the ‘migrating habitus’ and in chapter 8, Freidman considers intra-occupation social mobility. Morrin reflects upon the invisibility and apparent legitimacy of social inequality in chapter 9, followed by Ingram and Abrahams’ exploration of ‘class migrations’ (chapter 10), and concluding remarks in chapter 11. Each of the contributions to this book are distinctive and nuanced in their own right. Yet, of these, three chapters stand out as particularly innovative in their application of Bourdieu.
Wallace presents a fascinating chapter (chapter 6) upon the workings of ‘Black cultural capital’ – a permeable resource constituted by ‘entrenched racialised worldviews youth possess’ (p. 40). As Wallace shows, Black cultural capital can be drawn upon by stigmatised groups as a form of spatially situated power at the micro-level, informing status hierarchies within the peer-group, educational environment and localised networks. Interestingly, Wallace’s empirical work also provides critical consideration of how Black cultural capital can be used by those existing beyond the ethno-racial remits of its construction. However, in order to perform being Black, one is subjected to judgements of authenticity by those who consider themselves to embody true ‘blackness’ – whether the performer is Black or otherwise.
In chapter 8, Freidman provides a nuanced application of Bourdieu’s tools to a phenomenon requiring further empirical scrutiny – intra-occupational social mobility. Friedman notes how despite social mobility to the elite occupational strata, those from lesser privileged origins are often subject to a ‘powerful earnings class ceiling’ (p. 119). However, Freidman also demonstrates how negotiations of belonging and social mobility are often relational. In which the socially mobile of lesser privileged backgrounds manage their position as ‘outsiders within’ (Ingram & Abrahams, p. 153) through processes of self-affirmation. Here, one’s sense of place is reinforced not simply by subjugation, but through agency and resistance against the dominant forms of apparent legitimacy.
In chapter 6, Garratt considers how Bourdieu’s theoretical legacy can be used to understand how ‘racism resides in habitual perception and how this is constructed, perpetuated and linked to resource and rewards’ (p. 84). And while Garratt’s contribution is undeniably illuminative, I feel the technicality of this piece reduces its coherency. In relation to the remaining chapters, Garratt’s stands out as the least accessible; presenting a breadth of theory (Bourdieu and otherwise) without the simplicity offered throughout the majority of the collection.
Nonetheless, this book engages critically with the deficiencies of Bourdieu’s model to provide a more robust theoretical base which accommodates for the changing dynamics of contemporary society. This includes the extension of habitus to provide a more nuanced picture of the complexities surrounding working-class social mobility (Ingram and Abrahams) and renegotiating the boundaries of capital to understand, and accommodate, forms of ethnic resource (Wallace). The premise of Bourdieu’s intellectual heritage was to challenge the perpetuation of social inequality as an act of principle rather than status enhancement. And within Bourdieu: The Next Generation undertones of equality and transparency are evident throughout; a book which simplifies a complexus of theory into an accessible, fluid and illuminative format. This book provides a key source of information for undergraduate and postgraduate sociology students alike, or those of any academic level or discipline searching for an easily readable introduction to the work of Bourdieu and contemporary Bourdieusian scholarship.