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Article: Bridging the study of culture and religion: Pierre Bourdieu's political economy of symbolic power.
- Article from:
- Sociology of Religion
- Article date:
- March 22, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Association for the Sociology of Religion. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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This essay examines key features of Pierre Bourdieu's sociology of culture in light of their potential contribution to the sociology of religion. Bourdieu himself has devoted little attention to the study of religion.(1) Yet, significant features of his approach to the study of culture find inspiration in the materialism of Karl Marx and particularly in Max Weber's sociology of religion.
BOURDIEU'S POLITICAL ECONOMY OF SYMBOLIC POWER
Bourdieu proposes a sociology of symbolic power in which he addresses the important topic of relations between culture, stratification, and power. He contends that the struggle for social recognition is a fundamental dimension of ...