Reading Pierre Bourdieu's Masculine Domination: Notes towards an Intersectional Analysis of Gender, Culture and Class

Fowler, B. (2003) Reading Pierre Bourdieu's Masculine Domination: Notes towards an Intersectional Analysis of Gender, Culture and Class. Cultural Studies, 17(40271), pp. 468-494.

Abstract

This article analyzes Bourdieu's late work on masculine domination, in the context of his wider theory of practice. It assesses the logic of his argument & focuses particularly on the wide-ranging case he makes for women's complicity with such gender domination, alongside their opposition to it. The question of whether Bourdieu's sociology is unacceptably pessimistic about the possibilities for social transformation is then considered, taking up certain key contemporary debates about his work. The final section draws on Bourdieu's rudimentary sketches from various sources for an intersectionalist study of gender & class, deriving ultimately from the uncompromising exposure of economic & social interests in Distinction. Using independent evidence, it traces some of the less-remarked consequences of women's entry into well-paid employment on the labor market: not least, the impact of their work on the class structure & the recomposition of domestic labor on a class basis.

• Item Type: Articles
• Keywords: Agency And Structure, Bourdieu, Pierre, Masculinity, Opposite Sex Relations, Sex, Social Class, Sociological Theory, Scotland
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Fowler, Professor Bridget
• Authors: Fowler, B.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Sociology Anthropology and Applied Social Sciences
• Journal Name: Cultural Studies
• ISSN: 0950-2386