ABSTRACT
Pierre Bourdieu (1930-2002) was a French sociologist whose work has been widely influential in both the social sciences and humanities. He was born in rural southwestern France, where his father worked as a postal worker. Bourdieu received a scholarship that enabled him to attend the prestigious lycée Louis-leGrand in Paris. He subsequently enrolled at the École normale supérieure where he studied with Louis ALTHUSSER. After graduating with a degree in philosophy, Bourdieu taught first at the high school level. In 1959 he was appointed to a position in philosophy at the Sorbonne, after which he taught at the University of Paris from 1960 to 1964. In 1964 he was named director of studies at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales and founded the Center for the Sociology of Education and Culture. In 1982 he was named chair of sociology at the Collège de France. He received the “Medaille d’Or” (Gold Medal) from the French National Scientific Research Center in 1993.
