Abstract
Although the similarities between them are under analyzed, Pierre Bourdieu’s and Michel Foucault’s theories of culture and power are interrelated in some compelling ways. Outline of a Theory of Practice (1977) and Discipline and Punish (1979) are two of the most influential contributions in post-structural and postmodern theory. Yet, far more attention is paid to Foucault’s contributions in criminology than to Bourdieu’s. This essay brings together the work of these influential theorists to argue for a critical examination of the sociology of prisons. Bourdieu’s concepts of: (1) habitus, (2) ethos, (3) doxa, and (4) the theory of practice are related to Foucault’s ideas about (1) discipline, (2) docile bodies, (3) panopticism, and (4) history of the present by comparing specific examples from the original works. Then, the combination of those primary concepts is used to address specific methodological concerns researchers should consider when doing empirical research in prison.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adler, M., & Longhurst, B. (1994). Discourse, power and justice: Towards a new sociology of imprisonment. London: Routledge.
Arrigo, B. (1995). The peripheral core of law and criminology: On postmodern social theory and conceptual integration. Justice Quarterly, 12(3), 447–472.
Barak, G. (1997). Integrating criminologies. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Bernard, T. J., & Snipes, J. B. (1996). Theoretical integration in criminology. Crime and Justice, 20, 301–348.
Bosworth, M., & Sparks, R. (2000). New directions in prison studies: Some introductory comments. Theoretical Criminology, 4(3), 259–264.
Bourdieu, P. (1977). Outline of a theory of practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Calavita, K., & Seron, C. (1992). Postmodernism and protest: Recovering the sociological imagination. Law and Society Review, 26(4), 765–771.
Calhoun, C., LiPuma, E., & Postone, M. (1993). Bourdieu: Critical perspectives. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Callewaert, S. (2006). Bourdieu, critic of Foucault: The case of empirical social science against double-game-philosophy. Theory, Culture & Society, 23, 73–98.
Carrabine, E. (2000). Discourse, governmentality and translation: Towards a social theory of imprisonment. Theoretical Criminology, 4, 309–331.
Cronin, C. (1996). Bourdieu and Foucault on power and modernity. Philosophy and Social Criticism, 22(6), 55–85.
Ewick, P., & Silbey, S. (1995). Subversive stories and hegemonic tales: Toward a sociology of narrative. Law and Society Review, 29(2), 197–226.
Ferrell, J. (1999). Cultural criminology. Annual Review of Sociology, 25, 395–418.
Ferrell, J., & Sanders, C. R. (1995). Cultural criminology. Boston: Northeastern University Press.
Foucault, M. (1979). Discipline and punish. New York: Vintage Books.
Fox, K. (1999). Reproducing criminal types: Cognitive treatment for violent offenders in prison. The Sociological Quarterly, 40(3), 435–453.
Garland, D. (1996). The limits of the sovereign state: Strategies of crime control in contemporary society. The British Journal of Criminology, 36(4), 445–471.
Handler, J. F. (1992). Postmodernism, protest and the new social movements. Law and Society Review, 26(4), 697–731.
Hogeveen, B., & Woolford, A. (2006). Critical criminology and possibility in the neo-liberal ethos. Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 8(5), 681–701.
Hoy, D. C. (1999). Critical resistance: Foucault and Bourdieu. In G. Weiss & H. F. Haber (Eds.), Perspectives on embodiment: The intersections of nature and culture (pp. 4–20). New York: Routledge.
Kane, S. C. (2004). The unconventional methods of cultural criminology. Theoretical Criminology, 8(3), 303–321.
Leavitt, G. (1999). Criminological theory as an art form: Implications for criminal justice policy. Crime and Delinquency, 45, 389–399.
Mathiesen, T. (1966). The sociology of prisons: Problems for future research. The British Journal of Sociology, 17(4), 360–379.
Milovanovic, D. (1997). Postmodern criminology. New York: Garland Publishing.
Myles, J. F. (2004). From doxa to experience: Issues in Bourdieu’s adoption of Husserlian phenomenology. Theory, Culture & Society, 21(2), 91–107.
Podgòrecki, A. (1994). Social oppression. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Presdee, M. (2000). Cultural criminology and the carnival of crime. London: Routledge.
Rhodes, L. (2001). Toward an anthropology of prisons. Annual Review of Anthropology, 30, 65–83.
Rhodes, L. (2004). Total confinement: Madness and reason in the maximum security prison. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Russell, S. (1997). The failure of postmodern criminology. Critical Criminology, 8(2), 61–90.
Schlosser, J. A. (2008). Issues in interviewing inmates: Navigating the methodological landmines of prison research. Qualitative Inquiry, 14(8), 1500–1525.
Scott, M. B., & Lyman, S. (1968). Accounts. American Sociological Review, 33(1), 46–62.
Seron, C., & Munger, F. (1996). Law and inequality: Race, gender …and, of course, class. Annual Review of Sociology, 22, 187–212.
Skoll, G. J. (1992). Walk the walk and talk the talk: An ethnography of a drug abuse treatment facility. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.
Sloop, J. M. (1996). The cultural prison: Discourse, prisoners, and punishment. Tuscaloosa, AL: The University of Alabama Press.
Swartz, D. (1997). Culture and power: The sociology of Pierre Bourdieu. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Wacquant, L. (1989). Towards a reflexive sociology: A workshop with Pierre Bourdieu. Sociological Theory, 7(1), 26–63.
Wacquant, L. (2000). The new ‘peculiar institution’: On the prison as surrogate ghetto. Theoretical Criminology, 4, 377–389.
Wheeldon, J., & Heidt, J. (2007). Bridging the gap: A pragmatic approach to understanding critical criminologies and policy influence. Critical Criminology, 15, 313–325.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Schlosser, J.A. Bourdieu and Foucault: A Conceptual Integration Toward an Empirical Sociology of Prisons. Crit Crim 21, 31–46 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-012-9164-1
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-012-9164-1