Bourdieu Pierre

Bourdieu Pierre

(1930-2003) French professor of sociology at the College de France, Paris, who has made significant contributions to general SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY in attempting to find a middle way between action and structure, and is well known for his work in the sociology of CULTURE and for the application of those ideas to the SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION (see CULTURAL CAPITAL). He has drawn on the work of a diverse range of theorists, such as MARX, DURKHEIM and WEBER, to develop a distinctive theory of the maintenance of social order. His major works include Outline of a Theory ofPractice (1977), The School as a Conservative Force (1966) and Reproduction in Education, Society and Culture (1977). Other influential works by him include Distinction (1984) and Homo Academicus (1988). See also HABITUS, STRUCTURE AND AGENCY.