Culture & Society in the Sociology of Pierre Bourdieu

Pre-requisites: Proficiency in general theoretical concepts from the social sciences and in the English language. (Background in French also desirable).

Course objectives: This course is to serve as an introduction to general categories of Bourdieu's sociology of culture, critiques and evaluations, applying theoretical concepts and research concepts; developing one's ability to critically examine culture

Course description: The course will be divided into the following segments: 1) After a critical analysis of concepts and methods in Pierre Bourdieu's sociology in general, reasons will be given why the sphere of culture should be viewed as central in his opus. 2)Analysis of particular fields of interest(education, art, journalism, language, cultural consumption and lifestyles, global cultural interchange), where the contributions of Bourdieu and his school will be complemented with a broader exploration of ways in which contemporary sociology of culture is dealing with these issues. The course concludes with 3) the presentation of main criticisms of Bourdieusian concept of the sociology of culture. The practical dimension of the course concerns critical application of Bourdieu's sociology of culture on selected cultural phenomena in contemporary world, with an evaluation of theoretical, empirical, political, and ethical implications - both positive and negative - of Bourdieu's ideas.

Learning Outcomes: A good grasp on basic concepts, tenets and arguments of Bourdieu's sociology of culture; the ability to evaluate, select and critically use this knowledge with empirical social phenomena

Literature/Reading:

• Bourdieu, Pierre, «Klasna funkcija umetnosti», Kultura, 32, 1976, str. 90-113.
• Bourdieu, Pierre, «Simbolička moć», Kultura, 38, 1977, str. 23-30.
• Bourdieu, Pierre, «Društveni prostor i simbolička moć», u Interpretativna sociologija, prir. I. Spasić, Beograd: ZUNS, 1998, str. 143-158.
• Spasić, Ivana, Sociologije svakodnevnog života, Beograd: ZUNS, 2004, str. 285-316
• Nemanjić, Miloš, «Pjer Burdije», Kultura, br. 32, 1976, str. 79-89.
• Stankovic, Peter, «Practice, habitus and field», Sociologija Vol. XLII,2000, No. 4.
• Bourdieu, Pierre, Distinction, Paris: Editions de Minuit, 1979
• Bourdieu, Pierre, The field of cultural production, ed. by Ronald Johnson, Chicago: Columbia U. Press, 1993
• Bourdieu, Pierre, Fieldwork in Culture, Boston: Rowman, 2000