UNIVERSITY OF ROSTOCK
CLIP & KLUG SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES
PIERRE BOURDIEU HABITUS
Why do we get confused when we meet our professor at a punk concert?
Probably because we expect her to be at the theatre,
since that would correspond to her "habitus".
That's the opinion of Pierre Bourdieu.
He is one of France's best known sociologists.
He grew up in a modest rural setting
and worked his way to the top of the French education system.
A left-wing thinker who closely examines social differences
and who is an activist, notably as a critic of globalisation.
His ethnological studies of Algeria's rural population
laid the groundwork for Bourdieu's sociology.
One of his key concepts is that of the "habitus".
Our habitus explains personal taste,
our perception, and behavioural patterns
that are moulded by our position in society.
This position is determined by objective factors such as income,
education, profession, and our place of residence,
which inscribe themselves in our bodies.
The habitus is thus an expression of social inequality.
It is history incarnate, as Bourdieu calls it.
If you grow up in a tower block
or in a villa,
if you attend high school or grammar school...
all those factors influence you.
Do I expect to end up on welfare or dream of a university career,
do I prefer to eat chips with ketchup or rather lobster?
It's all a question of habitus.
Social inequality is not only dependent on financial capital:
Bourdieu asserts it is also dependent on other forms of capital.
These include social capital,
cultural capital,
and our social prestige in the form of symbolic capital.
Our professor, for example:
A high earner with good connections,
she is well-read and enjoys social recognition.
Therefore, our position in society is dependent
on how much of each capital we possess
and which resources are at our disposal.
And in turn, our position in society
structures our habitus.
The higher our position in society, the greater our repertoire
of individual means of expression and action.
So the professor knows how to behave in diverse situations,
be it a conference or a concert.
Nonetheless, punk professors
tend to be the exception.
The likelihood of meeting them in a theatre
is, according to Bourdieu's habitus concept, proportionately higher.
And that is precisely what we have internalized.
That's why as students, we are confused
if we meet our professor at a punk concert.
Our habitus is thus shaped by the social circles in which we move.
It structures our action in daily life, and our tastes.
Likewise, habitus in turn shapes society.
Individual behaviour thus becomes predictable
and social positions are cemented.
Although your position in society might change in the course of your life,
your habitus remains constant.
To a certain extent it is down to our background,
which we can't easily shake off.
By the way, the plural of habitus
is in Latin simply: Habitus.
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