Quantifying Theory: Pierre Bourdieu

This work addresses the work of Pierre Bourdieu, probably the most celebrated sociologist at the moment. The volume focuses on how researchers can take key elements of Bourdieu's work and apply them to the analysis of quantitative data on a variety of topics.

Pierre Bourdieu's contributions to the theory and practice of social research are far reaching. Possibly the most prominent sociologist in recent times, his work has touched on a myriad of topics and has influenced scholars in multiple disciplines. Throughout Bourdieu's work, emphasis is placed on the linkage between the practice of social research and its relationship to social theory. This book honours Bourdieu's commitment to the inextricable relationship between social theory and research in social science. In this volume, authors from all over the world utilize key concepts coined by Bourdieu, specifically his concept of capitals, habitus, and the field, and attempt to test them using quantitative survey data.

The focus of this volume is how researchers can take key elements of Bourdieu's work and apply them to the analysis of quantitative data on a variety of topics. Throughout the volume, issues of the possible interpretations of concepts and measurement validity are focused upon in a language that can be appreciated by new and experienced researchers alike. This volume is useful for courses where the linkage between theory and research is emphasized, at both the upper undergraduate and general postgraduate level. In addition to serving as a teaching tool, the articles within the volume will be invaluable to any scholar interested in working with Bourdieu's concepts in quantitative research.

Addresses the work of Pierre Bourdieu, probably the most widely read and celebrated sociologist at the moment Links the problem of how to test the theories of Bourdieu with large data sets, which are becoming more widely used in the social sciences Addresses the issues of surrounding the validity of measuring the theoretical concepts put forward by Bourdieu

Auteur

Karen Robson is an assistant professor of Sociology at York University, as well as a Marie Curie Research Fellow at the Geary Institute at University College Dublin (Ireland) and an Associate at the Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning at the Institute of Education in London (UK). She has recently co-authored a research methods text book with Lawrence Neuman entitled Basics of Social Research: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. In addition to teaching methods at the graduate and undergraduate level, as well as specialized courses in the statistical software package Stata, she has also published articles in peer reviewed journals, including European Sociological Review, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Research on Social Stratification and Mobility, and Public Health.

Chris Sanders is a doctoral candidate in the department of Sociology at York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His research interests include the sociology of health and illness, uses of digital technology, and the Internet as a methodological research tool. He teaches research methods at the undergraduate level. Recently, he has presented research papers at academic conferences and currently has single and co-authored articles under peer review for the journals AIDS Care and Culture, Health & Sexuality.

Contenu
Introduction: Approaches to Quantifying Bourdieu.- How Bourdieu Quantified Bourdieu: The Geometric Modelling of Data.- Quantifying the Field of Power in Norway.- The Homology Thesis: Distinction Revisited.- Transmutations of Capitals in Canada: A 'Social Space' Approach.- The Cumulative Impact of Capital on Dispositions Across Time: A 15 Year Perspective of Young Canadians.- The Influence of Cultural Capital on Educational and Early Labour Market Outcomes of Young People in Australia.- Teenage Time Use as Investment in Cultural Capital.- Cultural Capital and Access to Highly Selective Education: The Case of Admission to Oxford.- Applying Bourdieu's Concepts of Social and Cultural Capital in Educational Research in Greece and Cyprus.- Occupational Structures: The Stratification Space of Social Interaction.- Women's Work and Cultural Reproduction: An Analysis of Non-Wage Labour in Central Ontario, 1861.- Quantifying Social Class: A Latent Clustering Approach.- Changing Determinants of Consumption in Hungary, 19821998.- Fanship Habitus: The Consumption of Sport in the US.- Quantifying Habitus: Future Directions.