Bourdieu's idealism. Objectivity, reflexivity, and sociological interpretation: A materialist critique of Pierre Bourdieu

I took it upon myself to make the connections between Bourdieu's numerous writings. In doing so, two main themes emerged within Bourdieu's work: an analysis of reflexivity and consciousness (indebted to Hegel) and a concern to update and draw upon Marx's classic analysis of capitalism. To make sense of Bourdieu it became obvious that I would have to understand the relationship between Hegel and Marx. Through this understanding I came to see the richness of Bourdieu's theory, yet I also began to see several fundamental problems. Although Bourdieu often pays homage to Marx, he also relies upon many of the concepts Marx found so troublesome in Hegel's thought. More specifically, Bourdieu's theory contains a problematic idealism, lacks a real material subject, and circumvents the construction of an effective critique. These problems are the central focus of this thesis and I hope to show that not only does Bourdieu fail to create "objective" knowledge, but that his own theory cannot establish an understanding of the social world. At the same time, I hope to illustrate that in rejecting "objective" knowledge there is no reason to embrace an all encompassing relativism. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).