Habitus

I'm Dr. Nicholas Herriman, lecturer in anthropology at La Trobe University. The birds outside are Sulphur crested Cockatoos. This presentation is intended for anthropology undergrads. It is an introduction to the way anthropologists use the concept "habitus". Other terms and phrases used include "feel for the game", "fish in water"

* A good starting point for the concept is Thomson's chapter called "Field" in a book entitled Pierre Bourdieu: Key Concepts. This brief chapter situates Bourdieu's use of the term in relation to the idea of "field" and the four kinds of capital (economic, social, cultural, and symbolic).

* I should have distinguished "habitus" from the term "embodiment". "Embodiment" usually refers to the "ways of thinking and moving and the body shapes" produced by a culture. "Habitus" tends to be used more specifically in relation to a part of a culture, as in "an upper class French habitus" or "the habitus of a lacrosse player". But in practice there is a lot of overlap.

Bibliography:

* Bourdieu, Outline of a Theory of Practice (I only read parts of this--it's a difficult text).

* Mauss, "Techniques of the Body" (an easy read)

* Mark Mallman (2015), Not entirely at home: Upward social mobility and early family life. Journal of Sociology (a great application of "habitus"; subtle and profound)

* Loïc Wacquant (2011), Habitus as topic and tool: Reflections on becoming a prizefighter. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 8, 81-92. (describes the theoretical outlook in Body and Soul)

* Loic Wacquant, Body and Soul. (A famous book by a famous sociologist. Actually habitus is mostly implicit in the text, so this might not be the best starting point for students)

* Loic Wacquant, "Habitus" “Habitus.” Pp. 315-319 in International Encyclopedia of Economic Sociology. Edited by Jens Beckert and Milan Zafirovski. London: Routledge, 2004. (Great introduction to "habitus")

* Steven Wainwright, P. & Turner, Bryan S. (2004), Narratives of Embodiment: Body, Aging, and Career in Royal Ballet Dancers. In: Thomas, H. & Ahmed, J. (eds.) Cultural Bodies: Ethnography and Theory. Madden, MA: Blackwell. (Provides a great introduction to-, and application of-, "habitus").

Видео Habitus канала Nicholas Herriman