Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses the nature of the links between Bourdieu’s theory of the symbolic and earlier traditions. The term ‘symbolic’ refers, broadly speaking, to that which relates to mental processes that represent some feature of external reality. Symbolism therefore forms part of all human practice, from the most mundane to the most esoteric. Since social life is constituted by human practice, it is inconceivable without symbolic practice. Generally, symbolic practices have been conceptualized under the rubric of cultural practices, as part of culture. While the dimension of power has undoubtedly been brought sharply into focus in discourse analysis, the link between the material and the symbolic is less clearly conceptualized. The work of Pierre Bourdieu, it may be argued, marks the transition to a theory of the symbolic, which fills this lacuna by unraveling the complex relations between symbolism and the economy.