Science, Common Sense and Sociological Analysis: A Critical Appreciation of the Epistemological Foundation of Field Theory

Field theory is often criticized because sociologists applying it fail to follow two seminal rules: the three key concepts of field theory—capital, habitus, and field structure—must be (1) implemented in relation to each other and (2) reconstructed for the historically specific moment of their application. I claim that Bourdieu developed his conceptual tools in response to Bachelard’s insight that scientific progress requires a break from common sense. Once we appreciate the epistemological foundation of field theory concepts, we can better appreciate the rules for their application, avoid their typical criticism, and further improve them