An Analysis of Pierre Bourdieus Outline of a Theory of Practice

In Outline of a Theory of Practice, Bourdieu questions the preeminent ideas of social anthropologists such as Levi-Strauss who stressed the structural principles governing human action rather than the actions themselves and, Bourdieu asserts, doesnt account for all observable nuances of behaviour. Drawing on his fieldwork in Algeria, he expresses the need for a theory of practice focusing on the dynamic flow of human actions in the social world. Bourdieu coins the term habitus- a relational concept linking structures to the practice of agents. Outline is a significant and original contribution, providing an account of many of the issues Bourdieu continued to develop through his career.