Table Of Content‘Kyung-Man Kim has written a respectful yet corrosively critical account of
Bourdieu’s philosophy of science. He demonstrates the irony of Bourdieu’s
claim that his own reflexivity allows him to rise above the self-interested
debates that characterize social science … Instead of placing hopes for eman-
cipation, pace Bourdieu, on the objectivity of social scientific truth, Kim points
us to the liberating possibilities of critical ethnography, whose emancipatory
effect depends on the aesthetic power of its textual performance.’
Jeffrey C. Alexander, Lillian Chavenson Saden Professor of Sociology, Yale
University, USA
‘In contrast to his outsize influence on sociology generally, Bourdieu’s account
of science has been little understood. Kim provides a substantial and clearly
written introduction that shows its merits, and its surprisingly close relation
to the philosophy of science tradition. But he also shows how Bourdieu is
trapped in the circularity of the objectivizations of scientific subjectivity, and
the subjectivity of others more generally, on which his account depends.’
Stephen Turner, Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy, University
of South Florida, USA
‘This extremely stimulating critical discussion of Bourdieu’s sociology … is a
very valuable contribution to the study of the twentieth-century sociologist
who regularly comes top of the league tables.’
William Outhwaite, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Newcastle University, UK
‘Kim’s book on Bourdieu’s sociological theory ... raises important critical
questions about Bourdieu’s optimistic convictions that his sociology can really
contribute to the emergence of a less inequal society.’
Yves Gingras, Professor and Canada Research Chair in History and Sociology
of Science, Department of History, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada
Bourdieu’s Philosophy
and Sociology of Science
This book explores Pierre Bourdieu’s philosophy and sociology of science,
which, though central to his thought, have been largely neglected in critical
examinations of his work.
Addressing the resultant confusion that surrounds Bourdieu’s sociolo-
gized philosophy of science, it expounds his epistemology and sociology of
science, situating it within the context of Anglo-American post-positivist
philosophy of science and shedding light on the critique of relativist sociol-
ogy of science that emerges from his field theory. From a detailed critique
of Bourdieu’s reflexive sociology and his attempt to enhance the uneasy
epistemic status of the social sciences, the author draws on the thought of
Jürgen Habermas to suggest critical ethnography as a way of going beyond
Bourdieu’s critical theory.
As such, Bourdieu’s Philosophy and Sociology of Science will appeal to
sociologists, philosophers, and scholars across the social sciences with inter-
ests in the work of Bourdieu and the sociology and philosophy of science.
Kyung-Man Kim is Professor of Sociology at Sogang University, South
Korea. He was a Fulbright scholar twice and is a fellow of the Korean Acad-
emy of Science and Technology. In 2009, he was awarded the Kyung-Ahm
prize, the most prestigious academic prize in South Korea. He has published
extensively in leading sociology and philosophy journals and is the author of
Discourses on Liberation: An Anatomy of Critical Theory (Routledge 2005),
among other books.
Routledge Studies in Social and Political Thought
This series explores core issues in political philosophy and social the-
ory. Addressing theoretical subjects of both historical and contempo-
rary r elevance, the series has broad appeal across the social sciences.
Contributions include new studies of major thinkers, key debates, and
critical concepts.
The Early Austrian School of Economics
Money, Value, Capital
Christopher Adair-Toteff
Understanding Recognition
Conceptual and Empirical Studies
Piotr Kulas, Andrzej Waśkiewicz and Stanisław Krawczyk
Multiculturalism and the Nation in Germany
A Study in Moral Conflict
Paul Carls
Connecting Practices
Large Topics in Society and Social Theory
Elizabeth Shove
Marx, Engels and the Philosophy of Science
David Bedford and Thomas Workman
Bourdieu’s Philosophy and Sociology of Science
A Critical Appraisal
Kyung-Man Kim
Nation and State in Max Weber:
Politics as Sociology
Jack Barbalet
Bourdieu’s Philosophy and
Sociology of Science
A Critical Appraisal
Kyung-Man Kim
First published 2023
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group,
an informa business
© 2023 Kyung-Man Kim
The right of Kyung-Man Kim to be identified as author of this
work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Kim, Kyung-Man, 1958- author.
Title: Bourdieu’s philosophy and sociology of science :
a critical appraisal / Kyung-Man Kim.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2023. |
Series: Routledge studies in social and political thought |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2022038462 | ISBN 9781032386010 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781032386027 (paperback) | ISBN 9781003345817 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Bourdieu, Pierre, 1930-2002. | Sociology--Philosophy. |
Science--Philosophy. | Science--Social aspects.
Classification: LCC HM479.B68 K56 2023 | DDC 301.01--
dc23/eng/20220921
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022038462
ISBN: 978-1-032-38601-0 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-38602-7 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-34581-7 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003345817
Typeset in Times New Roman
by KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd.
To My Wife, as Always
Contents
Acknowledgments x
Introduction 1
PART I
Science, Politics, and Truth 9
1 Exhuming Bourdieu’s Sociologized Philosophy of Science 11
2 Bourdieu’s Sociological Theory of Scientific Truth:
Truth and Struggle 27
3 What Would a Bourdieusian Sociology of Scientific
Truth Look Like? Two Case Studies 49
PART II
Reflexivity, Objectivation, and Critique 65
4 How Objective Is Bourdieu’s Participant Objectivation? 67
5 Cultural Capital and the Social Reproduction of Class:
Can There Be a Crucial Experiment? 84
6 Torn between Science and Politics: Why Is Bourdieu’s
Politics Bound to Fail? 101
7 Is Human Science a Curse or Blessing? Criticism
beyond Bourdieu and Habermas 122
Index 132
