Bourdieu and Becker
COURSE BOURDIEU AND BECKER
THE TWO MAIN (COMPETING) CONTEMPORARY THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR ART
- the field theory (Bourdieu) and the art worlds theory (Becker) are the two theoretical frameworks scholars (economists, sociologists but also art historians) most often refer
- both Bourdieu and Becker are widely cited across the world, even artists refer to their theoretical explanations of the socio-economic organization for art
- the two theories share some common intuitions:
1. Both theories insist on the historical and social construction of art: art is not a pure and metaphysical occupation, but a social activity that is rooted in history
2. Both state that artists just like any other social actors are partly determined by the society in which they live
3. Both theories are relational: they put forward that one has to understand the relations between actors to understand how art functions
4. Both argue that art is a more or less autonomous social space, having its own logic
(art for the art sake)
5. Both argue that art is the place of cooperation and struggle
- but these two theories differ much when looking closely at them
1. Bourdieu insists more on domination and struggle; Becker on cooperation
2. Bourdieu is more holistic than Becker, that is he insists more on social determinations.
Bourdieu is often charged of determinism, while he criticizes Becker for weakening social determinations. Bourdieu starts with society, and Becker individuals (holism, individualism) 3. Bourdieu insists on reproduction, Becker on change
THE ART WORLDS THEORY
Interactions and cooperation
1
- at the origins of interactionism, the idea that we should start with the basic social fact: the interaction between individuals
- this means that the social world is built by individual actors
- the interactionist approach lies on 3 elementary principles :
1. A methodological realism. Sociologists tend to manipulate abstract concepts such as social class,
THE TWO MAIN (COMPETING) CONTEMPORARY THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR ART
- the field theory (Bourdieu) and the art worlds theory (Becker) are the two theoretical frameworks scholars (economists, sociologists but also art historians) most often refer
- both Bourdieu and Becker are widely cited across the world, even artists refer to their theoretical explanations of the socio-economic organization for art
- the two theories share some common intuitions:
1. Both theories insist on the historical and social construction of art: art is not a pure and metaphysical occupation, but a social activity that is rooted in history
2. Both state that artists just like any other social actors are partly determined by the society in which they live
3. Both theories are relational: they put forward that one has to understand the relations between actors to understand how art functions
4. Both argue that art is a more or less autonomous social space, having its own logic
(art for the art sake)
5. Both argue that art is the place of cooperation and struggle
- but these two theories differ much when looking closely at them
1. Bourdieu insists more on domination and struggle; Becker on cooperation
2. Bourdieu is more holistic than Becker, that is he insists more on social determinations.
Bourdieu is often charged of determinism, while he criticizes Becker for weakening social determinations. Bourdieu starts with society, and Becker individuals (holism, individualism) 3. Bourdieu insists on reproduction, Becker on change
THE ART WORLDS THEORY
Interactions and cooperation
1
- at the origins of interactionism, the idea that we should start with the basic social fact: the interaction between individuals
- this means that the social world is built by individual actors
- the interactionist approach lies on 3 elementary principles :
1. A methodological realism. Sociologists tend to manipulate abstract concepts such as social class,