Outline of a Theory of Practice (Cambridge Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Richard Nice (Translator) "The practical privilege in which all scientific activity arises never more subtly governs that activity (insofar as science presupposes not only an epistemological break but..." (more)
Key Phrases: legalist formalism, agrarian year, symbolic patrimony, Great Kabylia, Max Weber (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

A translation of the study in which Bourdieu develops the theory for his empirical work, based on fieldwork in Kabylia, Algeria. -- Book Description

Review

'[Outline of a theory of practice] can be highly recommended as a complex and often beautifully written piece of philosophical literature.' The Times Higher Education Supplement

'Few bodies of work are so systematic, so comprehensive, so creative, so fertile as Bourdieu's. Few theorists glide so adroitly between levels and styles of analysis, and few reach so keenly to the heart of so many analytic issues.' American Journal of Sociology

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (June 30, 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052129164X
• ISBN-13: 978-0521291644
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #25,655 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent ideas, a lot of ethnography, October 28, 2000

By	Benjamin R. Bates (Athens, GA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For anyone interested in cultural studies or in ethnology/ anthropology/ sociology, _Outline_ is a must read.

Bourdieu, a teacher of Foucault, has been rated France's 2nd most influential scholar (after Foucault) and for good reason. In _Outline_, Bourdieu provides a well-grounded introduction to his main concepts and gives a great deal of supporting detail to support his interpretations.

At times, his descriptions of the Kabyle culture seem to be far too long for persons who are reading him as a general social theorist. If you do not have a deep-rooted love of sociology or other culturally-immersive social sciences, you might prefer his _Logic of Practice_, which has less ethnology in it, or _Practical Reason_, which has nearly none.

If you are a student of culture, however, you will find these extended examples to be excellent background material and useful illustrations of Bourdieu's concepts.

In terms of writing style, Bourdieu is uneconomical, but the payoff is worth slogging through his difficult prose.

20 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bourdieu kicks Foucault's ..., December 1, 2002

By A Customer

How could anyone put Foucault above Bourdieu? Bourdieu has a rigorous sociology behind his work & provides a real theoretical groundwork to reconcile materialist, interpretive/symbolic and interactionist perspectives. Foucault on the other hand has led anthropologists down a slippery slope of prevarication, vagueness, grandstanding and an obsession with a hollow & impoverished idea of what constitutes a "critical" stance.