Sociological Responsibility: A Re-examination of Pierre Bourdieu's Critical Undertaking

Abstract

This article aims to reconstruct Pierre Bourdieu's contribution to the analysis of the sociologist's role in society, starting from two levels of responsibility that run through his work. The first is related to scientific quality. According to Bourdieu, sociology can contribute to making the world more bearable by shedding light on the laws that govern the functioning of the social. The scientific study of social practices presupposes the objectification of the mechanisms that govern scienti­fic production, as this practice is deeply rooted in the world and subject to power relations and meaning. This objectification helps neutralize certain social biases and enhances epistemological rigor. It contributes to the practice of a more vir­tuous science, one produced with greater autonomy and therefore capable of pro­viding more convincing results. Bourdieu believes that the awareness of social laws contributes to the extension of the freedom of social agents. Thus, sociolo­gical knowledge entails a second responsibility: it aims to expand the field of social consciousness to address the inequalities produced by objective structures and energize the capacity for change that each agent inherently possesses.