Bourdieu's Philosophy and Sociology of Science

'Kyung-Man Kim has written a respectful yet corrosively critical account of Bourdieu's philosophy of science. He demonstrates the irony of Bourdieu's claim that his own reflexivity allows him to rise above the self-interested debates that characterize social science. As Kim shows, Bourdieu's putatively objective theorizing has been continuously pilloried as itself representing a particularistic position in the sociological field. Instead of placing hopes for emancipation, pace Bourdieu, on the objectivity of social scientific truth, Kim points us to the liberating possibilities of critical ethnography, whose emancipatory effect depends on the aesthetic power of its textual performance.' - Jeffrey C. Alexander, Lillian Chavenson Saden Professor of Sociology, Yale University, USA 'In contrast to his outsize influence on sociology generally, Bourdieu’s account of science has been little understood. Kim provides a substantial and clearly written introduction that shows its merits, and its surprisingly close relation to the philosophy of science tradition. But he also shows how Bourdieu is trapped in the circularity of the objectivizations of scientific subjectivity, and the subjectivity of others more generally, on which his account depends.' - Stephen Turner, Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy, University of South Florida, USA 'This extremely stimulating critical discussion of Bourdieu's sociology …is a very valuable contribution to the study of the twentieth-century sociologist who regularly comes top of the league tables.' - William Outhwaite, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Newcastle University, UK 'Kim's book on Bourdieu's sociological theory ...raises important critical questions about Bourdieu's optimistic convictions that his sociology can really contribute to the emergence of a less inequal society.' - Yves Gingras, Professor and Canada Research Chair in History and Sociology of Science, Department of History, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada ‘Kyung-Man Kim has written a respectful yet corrosively critical account of Bourdieu's philosophy of science. He demonstrates the irony of Bourdieu's claim that his own reflexivity allows him to rise above the self-interested debates that characterize social science … Instead of placing hopes for emancipation, pace Bourdieu, on the objectivity of social scientific truth, Kim points us to the liberating possibilities of critical ethnography, whose emancipatory effect depends on the aesthetic power of its textual performance.’ Jeffrey C. Alexander, Lillian Chavenson Saden Professor of Sociology, Yale University, USA ‘In contrast to his outsize influence on sociology generally, Bourdieu’s account of science has been little understood. Kim provides a substantial and clearly written introduction that shows its merits, and its surprisingly close relation to the philosophy of science tradition. But he also shows how Bourdieu is trapped in the circularity of the objectivizations of scientific subjectivity, and the subjectivity of others more generally, on which his account depends.' Stephen Turner, Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy, University of South Florida, USA ‘This extremely stimulating critical discussion of Bourdieu's sociology … is a very valuable contribution to the study of the twentieth-century sociologist who regularly comes top of the league tables.’ William Outhwaite, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Newcastle University, UK ‘Kim’s book on Bourdieu’s sociological theory ... raises important critical questions about Bourdieu’s optimistic convictions that his sociology can really contribute to the emergence of a less inequal society.’ Yves Gingras, Professor and Canada Research Chair in History and Sociology of Science, Department of History, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada