Reinstating Pierre Bourdieu's contribution to cultural economy theorizing

Abstract

Systematic `cultural economy' analysis is a recent development in a long history of sociological thought about the relationship between economy and culture. Two recent benchmark texts demonstrate various innovative ways of doing cultural economy. However, we believe these books betray ambiguity about the historical roots of cultural economy theory, and overlook the multiple disciplinary perspectives that engage with these ideas. Surprisingly, Pierre Bourdieu is rarely acknowledged as an important progenitor of cultural economy theory, despite the fact his large and influential body of work was primarily concerned with the interpenetration of cultural and economic power, processes and practices. An application of Bourdieu's ideas — in particular fields, habitus and capital — enriches cultural economy perspectives in three areas: the distinctive yet interdependent nature of cultural and economic spheres of action; attending to the role of power, class and economic relations in shaping culture; and understanding the daily lives of socially situated individuals.