| This thesis examines contemporary theories of practice in order to expose the benefits and difficulties that a concept of practice has for social theory. It is suggested that theories of practice, as illustrated through the works of Pierre Bourdieu and Anthony Giddens, provide valuable perspectives on human agency and the social which escape the dilemmas of traditional social science. At the same time, they tend to produce unreflexive, over-rationalised and objectivist theoretical and explanatory analytics, thus failing to consistently overcome those same deep-seated ontological and epistemological assumptions to which they are reactions. An additional investigation of some social studies of science and of the significance of Wittgenstein on rules and rule-following serves to extend this treatment of practice theory beyond that of Bourdieu and Giddens, and to further detail and clarify the position here advanced with respect to the concept of practice and social theory. |
