Organizational Research and the Praxeology of Pierre Bourdieu

Abstract

This commentary explores the assumptions, concepts, objectives, labels, and empirical techniques that underpin, guide, and characterize the research approach and methodology of Pierre Bourdieu. To further understand his approach and its applicability in the context of organization studies, Bourdieu’s general project is contrasted with historical materialism and his view of power briefly compared to that of Foucault. Furthermore, Bourdieu’s concepts of field, capital, habitus, doxa, and symbolic violence, and his understanding of language are linked to current organizational literature and theory. His focus on relational analysis, “reflexivity,” and what the author refers to as the “construction of the research object” are similarly discussed. Finally, there is a consideration of the role of the researcher and a brief discussion of the implications and limitations of a Bourdieun approach.