On reductions - examining a British-Bourdieusian sociology of education

In this article I explore a disposition towards a critique of 'reductionism' and 'determinism' that seems to me to be very much prevalent within British sociology. I take a qualitative educational sociology that uses Bourdieusian concepts as one body of research where this dispos...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inBritish journal of sociology of education Vol. 42; no. 8; pp. 1107 - 1122
Main Author Winzler, Tim
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Routledge 12.10.2021
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Bourdieu
Bourdieu, Pierre (1930-2002)
Britain
Classification
Criticism
critique
Determinism
Educational Philosophy
Educational Sociology
Educational Theories
empiricism
Epistemology
exegesis
Foreign Countries
Reductionism
Reflexivity
Sociology
Warnings
United Kingdom
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:In this article I explore a disposition towards a critique of 'reductionism' and 'determinism' that seems to me to be very much prevalent within British sociology. I take a qualitative educational sociology that uses Bourdieusian concepts as one body of research where this disposition is expressed with particular fervour. A close examination of this work reveals its tacit acceptance of the limits of specific, and mostly statistical, classifications. It also reveals a distorted approach to reflexivity and the view of rival approaches and critiques. This points towards a specific and systematic disposition that, through the abundant warnings of 'reductionism' and 'determinism', itself reduces the development of a particular theory to a specific epistemology, thereby endangering the potential of rupture and epistemological break advocated by Bourdieu. This prompts us to pose fresh Bourdieusian questions about the state and practice of Bourdieusian reflexivity.
ISSN:0142-5692
1465-3346
DOI:10.1080/01425692.2021.1990015