Bourdieu's Concept Research Articles

Professional Male Soccer Players' Perspectives of the Nutrition Culture Within an English Premier League Football Club: A Qualitative Exploration Using Bourdieu's Concepts of Habitus, Capital and Field.

Professional soccer players' self-reported dietary intakes often do not meet recommended sport nutrition guidelines. Although behaviour change models have previously explored barriers and enablers to nutritional adherence, the cultural factors influencing players' nutritional habits also warrant investigation. Accordingly, we aimed to explore players' perceptions of the nutrition culture within the professional soccer environment. An interpretivist paradigm, which emphasises that reality is subjectively and socially constructed, underpins this study. Qualitative, face-to-face semi-structured interviews (comprising open-ended questions) were conducted with purposively sampled male soccer players from the English Premier League (EPL) (five British, five migrant; mean age: 26 ± 6years; mean EPL appearances: 106 ± 129). Data were abductively analysed using thematic analysis according to Bourdieu's concepts of habitus, capital, field and doxa practices. This study revealed five key themes: (1) players' habitus, as shaped by familial, ethnic and religious backgrounds, influences their dietary habits; (2) social capital, via managers (head coaches), teammates and online influences, impact players' dietary practices; (3) the increase in both soccer clubs' and players' economic capitals has advanced nutrition provision; (4) an unequal distribution of economic capitals has led to hierarchical practice in the performance nutrition field with personalised nutrition being somewhat enacted at the higher levels; and (5) body composition measurement is a 'doxic' practice in professional soccer that warrants challenge. Soccer players' habitual nutritional practices are influenced by personal upbringing and the club context, including economic resources and social capital from managers. The performance nutrition field within professional soccer is also shaped by stakeholders' doxic beliefs surrounding the perceived optimal body composition of players, with managers exerting social capital.

The Discretionary Power of Street‐Level Bureaucrats From the Perspective of Illusio

ABSTRACTInterrogating the tension between care and control in the work of social services staff in Belgian immigration detention centres, this article sheds light on the uses of discretion from the perspective of Bourdieu's concept of illusio. I argue that social services staff's use of discretionary power must be understood at the crossroads of their belief in their professional ethos and the power relations within these centres, which enabled them to frame the element of control as something they had to deal with professionally, rather than something to which they contributed. This sheds light on both the uses of discretion as well as on the articulation of care and control in border humanitarianism.

Esports events & hegemonic masculinity: Reflections on participant-observation at Evolution Championship Series 2019

Using critical theory and self-embodiment, as well as Bourdieu's concept of habitus and the social field, this ethnographic project documents the various ways that hegemonic masculinity manifested at the 2019 Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the largest fighting video game tournament in the world. Participant-observation was utilized to analyze the embodied experience of attending and participating in the tournament. The findings suggest that EVO's hyper-competitive culture reifies hegemonic masculinity and marginalizes femininity. The findings suggest that esports competitions reclaim masculinity through cyber-rituals and sexual objectification of women's real and digital bodies, in lieu of the absence of physical real-world male athletic bodies.

Decoding urban power: Architecture, symbolism and territorial control in Caracas

This study examines the conflictual dynamics surrounding the utilisation of state-architecture and symbolic imagery as instruments for power consolidation, profoundly shaping national identity and perceptions within the built environment. Drawing on Bourdieu's concepts of symbolic power and cultural capital, this research illuminates the complex interplay between architecture, territory and power. It offers insights into the endurance of societal values and the ongoing renegotiation and reconfiguration of urban space. The research also analyses how urban planning and territorial practices can ignite resistance and challenge existing power structures. The city of Caracas serves as a case study, where two key strategies employed by the current government are analysed: the “Great Housing Mission Venezuela” and the proliferation of Chávez symbolism across the urban realm. By exploring these territorialisation practices in Las Adjuntas, Macarao, the study further unveils the dynamics of power and socio-spatial hierarchies encoded in the urban landscape. These architectural and symbolic interventions are interpreted as attempts to shape perceived realities, consolidate hegemonic control, and regulate the city's socio-spatial order. The findings assert that these practices not only reflect power distribution, but also grant the potential for dominating, producing and controlling territories in nuanced ways. This multidisciplinary study provides a novel framework for decoding power structures embedded in the built environment.

Women of Maguey and Mezcal: The Other Everyday Symbolic World of the Palenque

Objective: To explore and highlight the role of women in the production of maguey and mezcal in Oaxaca, with the aim of analyzing how they have resisted and adapted to the dynamics of gender, class, and ethnicity that have historically limited their participation in a male-dominated context. Theoretical Framework: It is based on María Lugones' theory of coloniality, Pierre Bourdieu's concept of male domination, and Henri Lefebvre's concept of everyday life. Method: Qualitative research through semi-structured interviews with women mezcal producers and observations in palenques. Results and Discussion: It is revealed that women mezcal producers have played a crucial but historically invisible role in mezcal production. Despite barriers of gender, class, and ethnicity, they have redefined their role in palenques, gaining recognition within their communities. However, they still face cultural and structural challenges that limit their full participation and visibility in the mezcal market. Research Implications: There is a need to revalue the role of women in mezcal production, promoting inclusion and recognition. The visibility of women mezcal producers could transform gender dynamics and open economic and social opportunities. Originality/Value: This research highlights the role of women mezcal producers, providing a gendered and decolonial perspective. It reveals their resistance in a traditionally male-dominated space, suggesting new inclusion policies in rural sectors.

작가의 상징자본과 인공지능 미술의 정당성: 데미안 허스트의 「Beautiful Paintings」를 중심으로

This study aims to understand the linkage between an artist's symbolic capital (reputation) and the legitimization of that artist's AI art. Based on Bourdieu's concept of cultural capital, to do so, we theoretically reviewed symbolic capital. Then, the qualitative study was conducted by considering contemporary artist Damien Hirst's AI art project “Beautiful Paintings” as a case. Secondary data such as Hirst's career records, research papers, articles, reports, websites, and the artist's social media were collected and analyzed. The results indicate that the symbolic capital of Hirst has accumulated in the art world and the art market influences the acceptance of his AI art in the market. Hirst, to transfer his symbolic capital to AI art, highlights his role in producing the AI art via social media and connects his established image with the debate surrounding AI art. Furthermore, Hirst intends to generate a visual similarity between his recognized artistic style (Spin Painting) in the art world and Beautiful Paintings, as well as emphasizing the 'randomness' inherent in both AI art and Spin Painting. By doing so, the success of AI Art, supported by the symbolic capital of the renowned artist, implies that the hierarchical structure built within the art world for the legitimization of artworks is partially maintained even in art applying new technologies.

Being second among the second: Experiences of Indigenous sports among assimilated Sámi

This article reports on a study investigating the struggle for influence in an Indigenous community. With an eye on the potential further subordination on certain subgroups, we studied how Sámi sports club officials outside Sámi core areas perceive their relationship with clubs in core Sámi areas and the federative Sámi sports organization. Methodologically, we performed interviews with representatives of Indigenous sports clubs and employed Bourdieu's concept of symbolic power as a theoretical framework. The results show how Sámi sports club officials outside core areas consider their peers within core Sámi areas as superior and that this relationship is engrained and taken for granted. The perceived superiority is based on the judgment of sports club officials outside the core Sámi areas, showing how the elite is defined as much by its subordinates as by the elite itself, to use Bourdieu's conceptualization of symbolic power. In conclusion, these results show how the struggle for influence in an Indigenous community can create further subordination of subgroups in a group that is already subordinated in society.

The Scandinavian states' staffing of the United Nations‐system

AbstractThis paper examines the Scandinavian states' staffing of middle and senior‐ranking positions within the United Nations (UN)‐system, in comparison to other members of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). It is true that the Scandinavian states are overrepresented per the size of their population in both staffing categories; however, when it comes to a comparison of financial contributions to the UN regular budget, the three states are underrepresented compared to the rest of the OECD in staffing funded by that mechanism. Yet, the strong reputation of the Scandinavian states and their practitioners has still enabled them to disproportionately staff senior UN positions. To explain this, this paper utilises Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of capital, field, and habitus to explain how the three states' reputation within the UN‐system gives them an advantage in staffing senior positions.

A qualitative exploration of the impact of educational social fields on mental health help-seeking in post-primary schools in Northern Ireland.

In a study of post-primary students in Northern Ireland, Bourdieu's concepts of cultural capital, habitus and fields are used to explore attitudes towards help-seeking from general practitioners (GPs). Findings from Grammar and Secondary Modern School students are compared using the role of educational fields in influencing help-seeking behaviours for mental health problems. Focus groups were conducted of 54 students at 10 post-primary schools in Northern Ireland, each consisting of 5-7 pupils, stratified by age (13-17years) and gender. The data were analysed thematically to assess attitudinal and belief patterns within school environments. Participants from both types of schools expressed reluctance to seek help from GPs for mental health concerns. However, the attitudes towards help seeking differ between grammar schools (GSs) and secondary modern schools with regards to (a) the act of help-seeking; (b) service knowledge and medical professionalism; and (c) trust and disclosure. The field of GSs appears to produce students who feel more able and, importantly, more entitled to mental health support from health professionals. While this apparent conference of cultural norms increases some individuals' access to services, work is required to build help-seeking pathways which are responsive to diverse young people.

Reflexive anthropology: On the method-guided construction of premises in social theory

The notion of reflexive anthropology follows Bourdieu's concept of reflexive sociology. It argues that it is necessary to take a reflexive look at the “unconscious” of sociological research in order to overcome epistemological limitations. At the same time, however, Bourdieu fails to identify scientific research practice as part of a differentiated society that is structurally dependent on the cult of the individual (Durkheim). Therefore reflexive sociology needs to be complemented by a reflexive anthropology that analyzes the human person and its normative special status as an institution of a horizontally differentiated society. This leads to the question that I explore in this article: what follows from the fact that the anthropological premises of sociological research affirm the anthropological conception of modern sociation? The fact that sociology reproduces the anthropological certainties of modern society has been repeatedly criticized. Based on these arguments, I present a critical procedure that allows us to work out whether and to what extent the general conceptual presuppositions of research reproduce modern anthropocentrism. Finally, I outline a social theory that makes it possible to render the modern self-conception an object of study.

Negotiating and Struggling for a New Life: Stigma, Spirituality, and Coping Strategies of People Living with HIV in Myanmar.

Although enacted and internalized stigma is a continuing problem for people living with HIV (PLWH) in Southeast Asia, there is little understanding of how PLWH cope with discrimination, exclusion, and other negative outcomes caused by HIV-related stigmatization. This article aims to bridge this gap by analyzing the lived experiences of HIV-related stigmatization and coping strategies among 30 people with HIV in Myanmar, a country heavily influenced by religion, especially Buddhism. Among the 30 study participants, 20 were female and 10 were male, with ages ranging from 18 to 50 years. Through the lens of Bourdieu's concepts of habitus, field, and capital, this article first elucidates the various forms of stigmatization in family, work, social, and other settings as symbolic violence on people with HIV. The present article shows that spirituality serves as a perceptual and action framework for people with HIV to generate reflexivity toward their HIV infection and related stigmatization and to further engage in agentic responses. More importantly, this article demonstrates how people with HIV draw on spirituality to support peers in reclaiming control over their lives and how they are perceived by society. The findings indicate that the local context, especially cultural and religious resources, should be considered when developing interventions to mitigate HIV-related stigmatization in Southeast Asia.

HABITUS, RESISTANCE AND THE PRODUCTION OF MUSICAL MEANING

AbstractThis article defines and explores the concept of ‘resistance’ as a source of musical meaning in performance. Using Pierre Bourdieu's concept of ‘habitus’ as a framework, I examine my musical habitus: the embodied, internalised ways I play my instrument and think about music, which reflect my extensive musical histories and the fields in which these histories have taken place. Resistance arises in practice when this habitus is undermined. When the types of musicking undertaken circumvent my habituated understanding of acceptable performance and performative roles, it manifests as a pull towards more familiar modes of musical engagement. Making specific reference to resistance experienced in the development and performance of Alex Harker's Drift Shadow (2021), for solo oboe and electronics, the article outlines the ways in which my subjective relationship to my instrument and my role as a performer produce particular understandings of a work that can then nuance the way I play the piece.

A symbolic violence approach to gender inequality in academia

AbstractFeminist scholars have long recognized the gender‐based challenges that women in academia face relative to men. Although numerous strategies have been designed and implemented to tackle this problem, the attainment of gender equality in academia has proved futile globally. Integrating Acker's notion of the ideal worker with Bourdieu's concepts of symbolic violence and capital, we undertake a qualitative study of how women in African universities navigate the masculinized ideal academic norm, and how their efforts to break free from this symbolic image reproduces and legitimizes gender inequality. Drawing on the narratives of 36 women researchers in Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, Kenya, Botswana, and Zambia, our analysis reveals how the perpetual struggle for power, positions, and resources in academia influences women researchers within these contexts to enact three strategies for legitimacy―(1) ‘Engage the patriarchal order,’ (2) ‘Contest normative femininity,’ and (3) ‘Appropriate normative femininity.’ In contributing to the ongoing efforts to achieve sustainable development goals 5 and 8, we develop a theoretical framework that illuminates the subtle and sophisticated mechanisms that (re)produce, sustain, and legitimize the gendered structures and cultures in academia that serve to disadvantage women. The implications of these findings for theory and practice are outlined.

“We don’t have it in my mother tongue”

This study explores the experiences and evolving stance of a newly arrived adolescent student, Hamid, regarding the use of his first language as a tool for learning in the transition from introduction classes to vocational education and training (VET). The article is based on fieldnotes and interviews from a larger linguistic ethnographic fieldwork and draws on a critical sociolinguistic framework. It reveals that while Hamid initially intended to distance himself from his first language upon transitioning to the mainstream school system, it ultimately emerges as an indispensable linguistic capital for navigating the language and literacy practices of VET. Such a finding challenges prevailing educational policy and practice in Norway, which prioritizes linguistic scaffolding based on students’ first language(s) only at the outset of their educational trajectories and assumes its diminishing relevance over time spent in the country. In the analysis, Bourdieu's (1977) concept of capital is employed as a conceptual lens to interpret Hamid’s experiences and reflections. Furthermore, the study considers how scaffolding (Bruner, 1966) and disciplinary literacy interact and influence Hamid’s stance.

Syrian Immigrants in the Malta Bazaar of Istanbul: Changing Rules of the Trade Game and Negotiation between the Capitals

ABSTRACT This article examines the socio-spatial transformations of the Malta Bazaar in Istanbul and the new Syrian shopkeepers as potential game changers. We argue that the transformation of the bazaar cannot be seen solely as a commercial venture, but can also be read as a dynamic playground of understanding and tolerance, as well as emerging social, cultural and economic contrasts and tensions. To test these arguments, we designed a field study with an ethnographic approach. The central theme of our research is to read the role of Syrians in the social reproduction of space through potential changes in the rules of the game in a micro-space. We adopted Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of field and habitus to relate the micro-level experiences of actors in space to broader macro contexts. As a result, we concluded that the change in the rules of the game should be defined as a process of mutual uneasiness. What happens in the field at this stage is an attempt to fit into a single space where negotiation rather than cooperation is more prominent and mutual compromises are inevitably made.

Realities or mythologies: England's village pubs and counterurbanisation

The countryside is again becoming a ‘popular’ destination for many as they seek to find residence away from the urban. Within this narrative of counterurbanisation village services, and interactions within them are often seen as being attractive and integral to the ‘dream’ of rural living. Yet the realties are often very different, as can be seen through the village pub. Whilst the village pub for many represents a space which goes beyond the consumption of alcohol and offers economic, social, and cultural importance, it can also be a space of difference and inequality. However, there remains a gap in our knowledge regarding the different narratives ascribed to the village pub from those who have moved or want to move to the rural. And how these narratives are often interwoven with the ‘rural idyll’ leading to inaccurate representations and unrealistic expectations of the village pub. The importance of this paper resides addressing some of the above gaps by looking at the village pub, its meaning and importance to individuals and communities in the context of counterurbanisation. By looking at the village pub through, an English rural county, and a cultural lens this paper highlights that the village pub is seen and experienced as adding value of different kinds – economic, social, and cultural, and that different groups attach different levels of importance to these kinds of value. Through drawing on Bourdieu's concept of capitals to explore these values it is shown that the different kinds of value attached to village pubs can work in the Bourdieusian interpretation as capital and be self-expanding and inter-convertible but can also work to undermine one another. Thus, impacting on how village pubs are seen and experienced within the context of counterurbanisation.

Spectator racism in three professional men's football codes in Australia: Observations from White spectators

This article explores spectator racism across three high-profile professional men's football codes in Australia (Australian Football League, National Rugby League and the A-League). To pursue this goal, the study conducted an online survey from April 2021 to June 2021, securing 2047 responses. Our focus in this article centres on those participants who self-identified as White to gather their insights on racism as they witnessed and understood it being expressed in the context of attending a professional men's football code match in Australia. Applying Pierre Bourdieu's concept of habitus to theorise why some White spectators overtly express racist language and behaviour, our findings indicated the resilience of Whiteness as a source of power and domination, with many White participants reporting they had witnessed racial bigotry in recent years. Concurrently, many demonstrated anti-racist sensibilities, expressing frustration that change has been limited, if at all. Some participants suggested racism is an individual failing rather than being subject to institutions and community norms. From that perspective, racism is viewed as a personal choice rather than a failure of society.

A New Concept Proposal in History Education: History Capital

History capital is a new interdisciplinary concept proposal in the field of history education, including the fields of history and sociology. In this study, a discussion was conducted on the conceptualization of science capital as a sub-heading of the concept of science capital, which was developed by the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu's sociology and the British academician Louise Archer's joint work based on Bourdieu's sociology. It is seen that students achieve more success in the field they study, engage in research and reading activities, spend more time on educational activities in this field outside of school, and benefit from more resources. The fact that the student's interest in the course is a determining factor reveals the need to investigate the factors affecting his interest. Bourdieu explained accumulation with the concept of capital and divided it into economic, cultural, social and symbolic capital. He proposed the concept of "habitus" as a concept expressing interest, tendency and predisposition. The concept of field refers to certain locations with their own rules and accumulation criteria. If his capital and habitus are compatible, the person can achieve high success in that field. However, in order to measure a person's interest, tendency and predisposition in a field, his capital and habitus must first be measurable in accordance with the field. It is clear that in order for this problem to be understandable and measurable, it must first be conceptualized. For this reason, we first propose the concept of "history capital" to the literature. The aim of this study is to explain and define the concept of history capital in accordance with the field of history education, determine its scope and discuss the content of this concept. It is thought that this discussion and evaluation process will contribute to the literature by expressing students' tendencies, interests and predispositions with a concept in line with their knowledge. At the end of the study, by using Bourdieu's concepts of capital, habitus and field with the concept of science capital, the following definition in the field of history education was reached with the dialectical method in which deduction and induction are used together: “The accumulation (capital) acquired from (social and cultural) sources that affect and form a person's interest, tendency and predisposition (habitus) in history (field) is called history capital.”In addition, eight dimensions used in science capital were taken into account for the dimensions affecting the level of history capital.

Research in higher education institutions of Northwestern Mexico during COVID-19 times

This paper presents the results of qualitative research on new practices (habitus) of researchers in higher education (HE) in Mexico during the pandemic in three institutions in the State of Sonora. The research focused on modified or new practices or habitus during the pandemic, the challenges those scholars faced, and their view on remote scientific production in this period. Bourdieu's concepts of Habitus, Discipline, and Socialization are instrumental in interpreting data. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using coding and MAXQDA software. The main results refer to the individual, academia, and the constraint to produce knowledge. The results show that for individuals, habitus refers to the care of people. In the face of a health emergency, the focus is on it combined with academic, administrative, and research activities. Such weight is distributed unequally among the female gender; it is about caring for the family, attending research, and more work. In the case of academia, the specific tasks of some disciplines, such as economics, do not present restrictions on productivity, while others do. The regulations of Mexico’s National System of Researchers, SNI constitute a rule that constrains researchers. We assume that it is the primary mechanism for evaluating his/her productive habitus.

The Analysis of Teachers' Digital Habitus during Distance Learning Implementation in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era

The incredible changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic have affected various aspects, including education, which has transitioned learning activities in schools from face-to-face to distance learning. Teachers, as the frontline implementers of learning in schools, have been adapting to the new situation prompted by the pandemic while facing demands for the continuous provision of education. The objectives of this study are: 1) to analyze how teachers engage in digital habitus during the implementation of distance learning amidst the pandemic and 2) to identify the types of digital habitus formed during this period. Bourdieu's habitus concept is utilized as an analytical tool in this study. Employing a qualitative approach, the research optimizes data exploration through in-depth interviews and observations conducted in urban public high schools in Indonesia. The findings reveal that teachers' digital habitus is shaped through an interplay process between pre-pandemic digital experiences, practices during the pandemic, the interconnected structure, teacher agency, and the reflexivity of agents in distance learning practices. The formed digital habitus of teachers includes adaptability to change, openness to the use of learning technology, a willingness to adopt new habits, and a cooperative attitude.