ABSTRACT
Bourdieu’s theory of the symbolic, and the theory of practice of which it forms a part, are products of a rigorous dialectic between conceptual traditions and innovations, on the one hand, and empirical observations of particular social realities, on the other. The epistemological status conferred on them by Bourdieu is that of universally valid frameworks of analysis, capable of yielding sociological truths in diverse empirical contexts. The case has been seen as exemplifying, among other things, a contest between the state and community, over the issue of cultural rights, particularly the right to regulate the spheres of law and memory. The structures of objectified history constitute part of what Bourdieu calls fields, and the relation between habitus and field is conceptualized as two modes of the existence of history. The judgement provoked widespread consternation in the Muslim community in the country.
