ABSTRACT
Bourdieu used his work to develop a theory of social ‘fields’. The approach was used in a wide range of social contexts, and this chapter highlights four of them: law, religion, sport and fashion. The key aim here is to focus on the expanding set of concepts that Bourdieu was developing – habitus, field, capital, etc. – as the medium and analytical instruments of his critical theory of practice. The chapter will show how the same methodological approach and philosophical understanding highlight commonalities of generative practice in diverse field situations. Issues of time and place will be to the fore. However, it will also show how the same approach discloses particularities of individual field contexts. The significance of the general and particular is addressed when looking at Bourdieu’s own position within the intellectual field and the implications this may have for his reflexive approach.
