Pierre Bourdieu and Social Construction of Reality

Pierre Bourdieu and Social Construction of Reality

Introduction

Berger and Luckmann in their book , Social Construction of Reality did not only seriously dealt with several sociological themes , they also attempted to found a new idea of the `sociology of knowledge . They provided an introduction to Schutz and social phenomenology and established a theoretical background for later works , especially in the fields of sociology of religion and industrialization . However , the most daring presentation of the authors in this book was the consolidation of the two major theoretical postures in the study of

the man and his society : objectivism and subjectivism to arrive at a new sociology of knowledge

The social construction of reality entails the first major effort at detailing the interrelation and dynamic relationship between man and his society , a field hitherto polarized by the antithetical stances of the objectivist and subjectivist schools of thought . While on the one hand objectivism holds that individual 's perception of reality is defined by the forces of the society imposed upon the individual , notwithstanding his consciousness or will , in this respect , social facts are seen as things that determine the conduct and representations of individuals in contrast , subjectivism , in line with Max Weber reasoning , holds that the object of cognition is the subjective meaning complex of action (quoted in Berger Luckmann , 1966 . Berger and Luckmann posited that both stances should not be seen as contradictory or mutually exclusive They explain that both understandings come into play in the construction of social reality . Their position is aptly conveyed in the statement `Society is a human product . Society is an objective reality . Man is a social product

Although , Berger and Luckmann are renowned for their work in this field , Pierre Bourdieu can be regarded as the most prolific author on the subject of social reality . His work on the understanding of social reality is wide , diverse and at the same time convergent . The purpose of this is to examine Berger and Luckmann 's `social construction of reality ' from a Bourdieu perspective , to determine if Bourdieu strengthens and expands Berger and Luckmann 's theory of social reality or addresses the from a different theoretical position

Berger and Luckmann on Social Construction of Reality

For Berger and Luckmann , albeit man and his society both take the position of product and producer interchangeably , the relationship between the two is not causal , mechanistic or unidirectional , it is according to them , dialectic . Dialectic , in the sense that social reality is defined by the unending relationship between man and his society . In explanating this theory , the author took recourse to the conceptual arsenals of habitualisation , Externalisation , typification Objectivation , institutionalisation , and legitimation . These concepts effectively describe how society , which was the product of man , became the producer of man . The basic understanding that runs through these concepts is that the society is the product or ongoing product of man however , through internalisation of the norms of the produced society as it is passed from one generation to the other , actions...