Summary Of Practice Theory By Pierre Bourdieu

Pierre Bourdieu’s theoritical contribution to contemporary debates and the long-term history of anthropological thought:
Practice theory since its development by Bourdieu has become a fundemental tool used by anthropologists to examine other societal structures. The theory provides a new anthropological lens in which to examine why a society has developed in a particular way. Due to practice theory being developed as a response to past anthropologcal texts in which Bourdieu critiqued for being to separtist in examining its interactions between the macro and micro structures within society (Bourdieu 1977) there has been a shift towards a broader mor encampassing approach towrds studying society (reference). Cultral capital and habitus build
Through his written works Bourdieu has significantly deepened current and future academic’s understanding of the structure and maintainence of society. Bourdieus’s written text put forward three theories; practice, habitus and cultural capital. The ‘practice theory’ identifies the overarching dialectical relationship between society and the individual whilst ‘habitus’ and ‘cultural capital’ idenitfy how this dialectical structure comes to form and is continually maintained within a society. Cultural capital is the intangible and tangible accumulation of symbolic elements and actions, whilst habitus is the embodiment of the symbolic elements and actions which explain the development of the individual. With these theories Bourdieu attempts to move away from ethnocentrism by providing theoritical bases to follow that will help the anthropologist remain focused on the culture at hand. Bourdieu’s theories delve into the intricate details and foundations that make up a society not just the surface level behaviours and interactions. Bourdieu ultimately through theoritical exploration provided a new tool to help develop the anthropological