Pierre Bourdieu, Organization, and Management

Pierre Bourdieu, the French sociologist, philosopher, and anthropologist, has been widely studied and analyzed in academic circles, particularly in sociology, where his ideas about power relations in social life helped to define the contemporary field. While many other sociological theories and figures have been extensively discussed and analyzed within the contexts of organization studies and management, Bourdieu’s ideas have, until recently, been largely ignored. Offering an authoritative evaluation of Bourdieu’s work, this book provides readers with conceptual frameworks, empirical examples, and methodological considerations for advancing theory and research in management and organization studies.

This book presents an in-depth review of the relevance of Bourdieu’s social theory for organization and management studies, outlining the key aspects of Bourdieu’s approach and situating his work in its historical and intellectual context of the time. An outline of the treatment of Bourdieuan theory by management and organization scholars and a critique of the selective reception of his work are offered. The first edited collection to explore the benefits of Bourdieuan sociology for a management audience, this book is relevant for theory, research, and practice, and will appeal to an international scholarly audience of academics and research students.