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Language and Symbolic Power
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Language and Symbolic Power
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Ideal for students and scholars in the social sciences and humanities, particularly those studying sociology, politics, anthropology, linguistics and literature, who seek a critical and theoretical exploration of language’s role in power structures.
This volume brings together Bourdieua s highly original writings on language and on the relations between language, power and politics. Bourdieu develops a forceful critique of traditional approaches to language, including the linguistic theories of Saussure and Chomsky and the theory of speech--acts elaborated by Austin and others.
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Description
This volume brings together Bourdieu's highly original writings on language and on the relations between language, power and politics. Bourdieu develops a forceful critique of traditional approaches to language, including the linguistic theories of Saussure and Chomsky and the theory of speech acts elaborated by Austin and others.
He argues that language should be viewed not only as a means of communication but also as a medium of power through which individuals pursue their interests and display their practical competence. Drawing on the concepts which are part of his distinctive theoretical approach, Bourdieu maintains that linguistic utterances or expressions can be understood as the product of the relation between a 'linguistic market' and a 'linguistic habitus'.
When individuals produce linguistic expressions, they deploy accumulated resources and they implicitly adapt their expressions to the demands of the social field or market. Hence every linguistic interaction, however personal and insignificant it may seem, bears the traces of the social structure that it both expresses and helps to reproduce.
Bourdieu’s account sheds fresh light on the ways in which linguistic usage varies according to considerations such as class and gender. It also opens up a new approach to the ways in which language is used in the domain of politics. For politics is, among other things, the site par excellence in which words are deeds and the symbolic character of power is at stake.
Language and Symbolic Power, by one of the leading social thinkers in the world today, represents a major contribution to the study of language and power. It will be of interest to students throughout the social sciences and humanities, especially in sociology, politics, anthropology, linguistics, and literature.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Professor Dell Hymes, University of Virginia praises Bourdieu's work as indispensable for understanding the link between situated discourse and wider social dynamics. He commends the book's empirical and engaged approach to power, identity, and language, highlighting its subtle and sceptical perspective that enriches social theory beyond traditional linguistic views.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780745610344
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 10 December 1992
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Polity Press
Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 22.0mm
Width: 155.0mm
Height: 229.0mm
Weight: 482g
Pages: 312
About the Author
Pierre Bourdieu was Professor of Sociology at the Collège de France.
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