Abstract
The critical and polemic receptions of the work of Loı ̈c Wacquant has been extensive, but to a large extent focused on specific works and colored by professional specialty, that is, in a word: fragmented. In counteracting that fragmented response, the article sheds light on the undercurrents in Wacquant’s works by stressing four prominent and consistent features: his heritage from (and updating of)Bourdieu; his emphasis on and constant practice of theory (implicit as well as explicit); the distinct ethos with which he addresses political sociology (in the dual form of a sociology analyzing the effects of the political productions of populations categories and a so-called ‘civic sociology’); and finally, the persistent and ubiquitous critique of everything in existence – a thematic indicator permeating each and every one of his works. Thus the article proposes a unifying reading of Wacquant as an interpretation advocating revitalization of a critical social science.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Thesis Eleven |
Volume | 137 |
Issue number | 1 |
Pages (from-to) | 39-54 |
Number of pages | 16 |
ISSN | 0725-5136 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 5 Dec 2016 |
Keywords
- critique
- generic sociology
- historical epistemology
- sociological reflexivity
- Wacquant