ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to discuss how Bourdieu’s conceptual framework is suited to understand the emergence of health promotion strategies in work organizations. By simultaneously discussing the approach represented by new institutionalism, we highlight that while new institutionalism offers a good conceptional vocabulary to describe patterns of organizational changes, and pinpoint important drivers, Bourdieu’s agonistic and relational approach is needed to relate the phenomenon to more deep-seated structural transformations. Moreover, and importantly, Bourdieu’s critical perspective offers a lens to see how a development, which may clearly be associated with improved working conditions and welfare, may also carry the risk of marginalizing certain bodies and lifestyles, and legitimizing labour market inequalities. The chapter asks why Nordic workplaces and the related fields of education and public employment services are seeing an increased emphasis on healthiness. In addressing this question, we apply Bourdieu’s relational sociology, especially the concepts of ‘habitus’, ‘capital’ and ‘field’, as well as ‘structural homology’. The chapter is first and foremost conceptual, but throughout, we discuss empirical examples from the Nordic countries of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland.
