scholarly journals On the concept of habitus: Feminist critic of Pierre Bourdieu’s social theory

2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-192
Author(s):  
Dejan Petrovic

Key contemporary sociological theorists, such as Foucault or Habermas rarely explicitly discussed gender in their studies. This fact has not caused a lack of interest in the critical examination of the theoretical systems of these authors within a feminist perspective. During the 1990?s feminists? attention was drawn to Pierre Bourdieu?s social theory. French sociologist?s study Masculine Domination deals with issues of gender dynamics and its reproduction. In this study the persistence of the asymmetric distribution of social power between women and men is explained by concepts of habitus and symbolic violence. As this article will show, social change cannot be explained by Bourdieu?s concept of habitus, as a key link between social structure and action, due to its reduction of actors to socialized bodies, which are practically deprived of any true action potential. On the other hand, with regard to social activism as a permanent feature of feminist theory, this paper seeks to examine whether critical examination of Bourdieu?s conceptual apparatus achieves to provide the means to overcome the aforementioned shortcomings of the theoretical system of French sociologist. In other words, this article seeks to answer the question whether such a modification of habitus is possible, which will allow for actors whose action is truly structured and structuring, and lead to possible change of existing power relations.

During the last few years of his life Prof. Simon Newcomb was keenly interested in the problem of periodicities, and devised a new method for their investigation. This method is explained, and to some extent applied, in a paper entitled "A Search for Fluctuations in the Sun's Thermal Radiation through their Influence on Terrestrial Temperature." The importance of the question justifies a critical examination of the relationship of the older methods to that of Newcomb, and though I do not agree with his contention that his process gives us more than can be obtained from Fourier's analysis, it has the advantage of great simplicity in its numerical work, and should prove useful in a certain, though I am afraid, very limited field. Let f ( t ) represent a function of a variable which we may take to be the time, and let the average value of the function be zero. Newcomb examines the sum of the series f ( t 1 ) f ( t 1 + τ) + f ( t 2 ) f ( t 2 + τ) + f ( t 3 ) f ( t 3 + τ) + ..., where t 1 , t 2 , etc., are definite values of the variable which are taken to lie at equal distances from each other. If the function be periodic so as to repeat itself after an interval τ, the products are all squares and each term is positive. If, on the other hand, the periodic time be 2τ, each product will be negative and the sum itself therefore negative. It is easy to see that if τ be varied continuously the sum of the series passes through maxima and minima, and the maxima will indicated the periodic time, or any of its multiples.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. 1113-1114
Author(s):  
DALE L. PHELPS

Preventing handicaps in premature infants is a pressing goal, and vitamin E has been offering some hope for the prevention of one of the most emotionally distressing sequelae, blindness. The report of Speer et al1 confirms the observation of Chiswick et al2 that vitamin E may also reduce severe CNS hemorrhage, one of the other major handicapping conditions faced by the premature infant. Naturally, we welcome this information, but in our eagerness to find a cure, we must not blunt the sharp edge of critical examination of the data. Extreme caution must be still be exercised for the following reasons: (1) some questions have been raised about the data to be examined; (2) a third study suggests the opposite result3; and (3) there are significant differences in the vitamin E formulations that were used and those available for use in the United States.


Res Publica ◽  
1970 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-132
Author(s):  
Bernard Remiche ◽  
Charles-Etienne Lagasse

The 1970 amended Belgian Constitution is at the cross-roads of two currents of history, on one hand, once more the traditional values of the Occidental society ; on the other hand a double communal pressure contests an unitary state : from underneath affirmation of three Belgiannational communities, from above, apparition of a «supra-national party».The authors make a critical examination of the cropping up of bonding institutions in a «pré-fédéral» state, then they clearly state the principles of a really federal Constitution based upon the acknowledgement of the 2 large communities and the 3 regions and the principles of a democratic organization of an economic politic.


1991 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Burbules ◽  
Suzanne Rice

In this article, Nicholas Burbules and Suzanne Rice engage several of the central claims made by postmodern authors about the possibilities and limits of education. Specifically,they focus on postmodern conceptions of difference, and on the question of whether dialogue across differences, particularly differences in social power, is possible and worthwhile. In order to answer this question, Burbules and Rice distinguish two trends within postmodern thought: one extends and redefines modernist principles such as democracy, reason, and equality; the other deconstructs and rejects these principles. They argue that it is the redefinition of modernist principles, not their wholesale rejection, that offers educators the most hopeful and useful conception of dialogue across differences.


1979 ◽  
Vol 57 (9) ◽  
pp. 944-956 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Krnjević ◽  
Y. Lamour ◽  
J. F. MacDonald ◽  
A. Nistri

In cats under Dial, Co, Mn, La, and Sr were injected extracellularly near lumbosacral motoneurones. All tended to improve intracellular recording, but when the membrane potential was initially stable, Mn, and especially Co, had a moderate and reproducible depolarizing action. Both Mn and Co depressed excitatory postsynaptic potentials evoked by dorsal root stimulation. The prominent after-hyperpolarization (a.h.p.), which normally follows the motoneuronal action potential, was consistently and reversibly depressed by Mn and Co (as well as La), the underlying conductance increase being also diminished, but there was no significant reduction in the after-depolarization. By contrast, Sr tended to potentiate the a.h.p., especially when this was depressed by a previous injection of Co or Mn. Unlike the other cations, Co had a marked depressant effect on the action potential, particularly its rate of rise. Since the action potential could be immediately restored by hyperpolarization or by an injection of Sr (in the absence of depolarization), Co may enhance Na inactivation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 167-171
Author(s):  
Mohammad Sabiq ◽  
Akhmad Jayadi ◽  
Imam Nawawi ◽  
Mohammad Wasil

Materialism and sich are the driving spirit of the community in achieving economic and financial security that saves a holistic and socially just welfare. This can be seen from the lives of people in materialistic developed countries, where the level of social stress is higher, economic inequality widens, horizontal conflict is rife. This research uses Pierre Felix Bourdieu's social theory in seeing people trust the expenditure of material with other values, such as spiritual and cultural values ​​that are no less urgent as elements of social welfare development. This study found that materialism on the one hand has a positive effect, where people are encouraged to use material standards in measuring the level of welfare they expect. On the other hand, materialism closes the presence of values ​​such as spirituality, local wisdom and agriculture in completing more holistic welfare standards.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-123
Author(s):  
Farid Pribadi

This article discusses the symbiotic relationship of mutualism between mass media andterrorism. Whether we realize it or not, acts of terrorism in the homeland are still interestingand economically valuable news material in front of the mass media. On the other hand, onthe part of terrorists, the news about terrorist acts actually becomes a strategic campaignarea to show their existence. The research uses a qualitative approach to narrative analysismethod. The results of the study are www.okezone.com and www.tribunnews.com placingthe terror terror events in Medan Mapolrestabes as interesting and economically valuablenews material. The style of the news flow is arranged with a choice of tense, dramatic andsensational nuances of words. In addition, the display of photo and video illustrationsshortly after the explosion also aims to display as if the news of the explosion event is true,not engineering, objective and valid. The combination technique of choice of words, storyline, placement techniques and the size of photos and videos all aim to make the emotions ofthe reader participate dissolved in a tense situation as the situation at the scene of theexplosion. The practice of compiling this kind of news flow is called, as Jean Baudrillard'spractice of simulation. The practice of simulation through the practice of compiling newslines and the touch of visual image technology will eventually create conditions ofhyperreality. Namely the conditions between reality will be mixed with the pseudo so it isdifficult to distinguish which is original and fake. Next, the airing of a list of victims ofunknown origin will actually give birth, as Pierre Bourdie calls it symbolic violence. That is,the practice of violent symbols aimed no longer at the physical target but rather consciousthoughts. Symbolic violence in the appearance of the victim list really has the potential tocreate traumatic feelings towards the families of the victims.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 265
Author(s):  
Flavius Floris Andries

Political representation and symbolic violence through discourse Seram as Nusa Ina (Mother Island) are interesting phenomenon to be studied. This research was conducted with a qualitative method by in-depth interview and participation observation which aims to know how does this discourse view. The cultural study was applied in order to comprehend the manners of creating, producing, and disseminating the meanings from the perspective of non-Seram society and what their views on the discourse in understanding Moluccas universal identity. The process of data analysis by using the cultural studies approach generated the findings i.e the Nunusaku myth that legitimizes and strengthens Seram as Nusa Ina in society, and that there was a significant influence of myth and discourse in Moluccas identity formation universally in the form of folk songs or reliefs that always shade of Seram in represents the Moluccans. The discourse of Seram as Nusa Ina for the community of non-Seram, especially for Southeast people, is not substantial because they do not have emotional connection or relationship with the genealogy and cultural discourse. They have the other myth and the other own discourse about the myth itself such as Vernusang Island which was sinking in the formation of people’s live in the Southeast. Therefore, the discourse of Seram as Nusa Ina which is forced to become a part of the discourse of Southeast People is a form of a false consciousness as well as form of political representation and symbolic violence.


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