Bourdieu and IR Theories

Summary Within different theories of International Relations (IR), analyzes studying the contribution of Pierre Bourdieu to the discipline are still very limited. This observation is the opening of this article that focuses on the main ideas of Pierre Bourdieu to highlight these possible contributions to theories of IR. In a first time, and considering the meta-theoretical rupture that exists on epistemological issues in theories of IR between positivist and post-positivist approaches, the article discusses the positions of Bourdieu’s sociology about this epistemological bias. Based on the observation that the existing dichotomous conflicts between thesis two approaches in the social sciences are only artificial polarization, and therefore they are a sterile debate because one side opposes an approach that focuses on the interactions of agents to understand the structure and the other side an approach that emphasizes the characteristics of the structure to apprehend the interactions of agents, the article shows in which way, faced to this polarization, the sociology of Bourdieu opens “a middle course”, offering a reflexive epistemology. Also emphasizing that the issues related to the acquisition of knowledge and learning should particularly not be limited within the rigid framework of philosophy, since they may be the products of a habitus, the article shows as for Bourdieu sociology it is essential to (re)consider the production of such knowledge and skills that are often considered as “prior learning”. The reflexive epistemology of Bourdieu therefore insists that knowledge and skills are only a construction, arose of a process and in this context it recommends to (re)question them by proposing an objectification of objectivity. In the theories of IR, this situation returns to reject the positivist models on which current mainstream theories are based. In other words, it is necessary to (re)questioning several concepts that are considered “re-aquired” within the discipline such as State, sovereignty, anarchy, etc… In a second step, the article argues that the contribution of Bourdieu’s approach is not limited just to the elements it offers in epistemological terms, but it contributes significantly on the ontological level. Therefore, the article reveals that Bourdieu’s approach strives on the one hand to exceed subjectivism which tends to conclude that the structure is shaped by the actions of players and on the other hand a positivism “reificator” which tends to propose in an abstract way the agents. And relying selectively on certain concepts developed by Pierre Bourdieu as agent, habitus, field and illusio, the paper demonstrates that this approach strives to create a dialogical relationship between “the reality of the model” and “the model of reality” to overcome these ontological discords by relying on a “relational ontology”. Finally to turn this “relational ontology” of Bourdieu into the concrete, this article details in a analytical way these concepts and it strives to adapt to the theories of IR by illustrating in a practical way the possible applications. On the ontological level, the article concludes that Bourdieu’s relational ontology can develop in detail a sociological profile of political units that populate the international arena, and in this way it contributes to “sociologize” entities (such as for example States) that are offered in a “generic” and “homogeneous” way by the dominant paradigms of theories of IR. It also shows that the relational ontology allows to dissect the different shapes and applications of the concept of power, and taking in some way away with the notion of power designed primarily as a military/material aspect by mainstream paradigms, Bourdieu’s approach suggests a broader range of the concept of power in international relations. Finally, adapting the concept of field in the theories of IR, the article also explains that this concept can provide a better understanding of the various interactions that are taking place between the different agents at different scales (local, national, international ) and that in that way it may help to dissect the action itself. Thus, the analysis grid based on the concept of field is used to clarify the socialization process between agents and in this way to identify the complex relationships that exist between dominant and dominated agents in a particular area....Read more