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'Shadow boxing': reflections on Bourdieu and language

'Shadow boxing': reflections on Bourdieu and language
'Shadow boxing': reflections on Bourdieu and language
The article begins in a reflexive mode, situating its author in relation to language and to the work of Pierre Bourdieu. This position is then used to raise pertinent issues concerning the reception of Bourdieu’s writings in the field of Anglo-Saxon academia. The author’s interpretation of the main precepts of Bourdieu’s approach to language is set out, leading towards a critical consideration of Simon Susen's “Bourdieusian reflections on language: Unavoidable conditions of the real speech situation”. The focus of coverage is on Susen’s language in examining philosophical issues underlying Bourdieu’s own conception of language. Acknowledgement is made of the merits of Susen’s theoretical framework, whilst insisting on “practical necessity” as an integral part of any consideration of Bourdieu’s method. The term “shadow boxing” is used to suggest that, whilst many scholars in the humanities and social sciences find it easy to attack Bourdieu, few criticisms seem to stick. Finally, the paper argues that the fact that Bourdieu remains elusive can be regarded as both a strength and a weakness of his theory of practice, considered here with respect to language.
280-286
Grenfell, Michael
3f1954ca-ee82-46df-bd31-0b6c9c390ab1
Grenfell, Michael
3f1954ca-ee82-46df-bd31-0b6c9c390ab1

Grenfell, Michael (2013) 'Shadow boxing': reflections on Bourdieu and language. Social Epistemology, 27 (3-4), 280-286. (doi:10.1080/02691728.2013.818738).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The article begins in a reflexive mode, situating its author in relation to language and to the work of Pierre Bourdieu. This position is then used to raise pertinent issues concerning the reception of Bourdieu’s writings in the field of Anglo-Saxon academia. The author’s interpretation of the main precepts of Bourdieu’s approach to language is set out, leading towards a critical consideration of Simon Susen's “Bourdieusian reflections on language: Unavoidable conditions of the real speech situation”. The focus of coverage is on Susen’s language in examining philosophical issues underlying Bourdieu’s own conception of language. Acknowledgement is made of the merits of Susen’s theoretical framework, whilst insisting on “practical necessity” as an integral part of any consideration of Bourdieu’s method. The term “shadow boxing” is used to suggest that, whilst many scholars in the humanities and social sciences find it easy to attack Bourdieu, few criticisms seem to stick. Finally, the paper argues that the fact that Bourdieu remains elusive can be regarded as both a strength and a weakness of his theory of practice, considered here with respect to language.

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e-pub ahead of print date: 21 November 2013

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 404776
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/404776
PURE UUID: 1d606a23-4cc6-4163-adcc-e46032b81b78
ORCID for Michael Grenfell: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2038-0317

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Date deposited: 24 Jan 2017 16:56
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 02:41

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Author: Michael Grenfell ORCID iD

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