Knowledge Politics and Anti-Politics: Bourdieu on Science and Intellectuals

Abstract

This chapter engages more directly with Bourdieu's field theory of science and his notion of the intellectual ‘politics of reason’, which supply intriguing thought material for a further elaboration of a pragmatic, knowledge–political conception of intellectual autonomy. Similar to Latour's theory of translation, Bourdieu's field theory relativizes the science/politics divide, but does not satisfactorily resolve the conundrum of fact and value. However, while Latour defends the view that the purpose and strength of scientific laboratories is precisely to erode the differences between science and society, Bourdieu continues to profess a principled loyalty to the idea of scientific and intellectual autonomy.