Integration and Dualism: General Conceptions to Deal with Tensions in Pierre Bourdieu’s and Niklas Luhmann’s Theories

In this paper we examine the way in which Pierre Bourdieu and Niklas Luhmann problematize a series of central dichotomies or tensions in sociological thought. We elaborate on this problematization as a general conception, treating it as an identity feature of each theory. In the first place, the ind...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Giordano, Pedro, Becerra, Gastón
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2023
Country:México
Institution:UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTÓNOMA DE MÉXICO
Repository:Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales
Language:Spanish
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/80821
Online Access:https://www.revistas.unam.mx/index.php/rmcpys/article/view/80821
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Integración
dualismo
tensiones sociológicas
dicotomías
concepción general
Integration
dualism
sociological tensions
sociological dichotomies
general conception
Description
Summary:In this paper we examine the way in which Pierre Bourdieu and Niklas Luhmann problematize a series of central dichotomies or tensions in sociological thought. We elaborate on this problematization as a general conception, treating it as an identity feature of each theory. In the first place, the individual / society tension, constituent of the sociological field, is addressed; then, realism / constructivism, pertinent to epistemological and ontological debates; third, description / criticism, focused on the purpose of sociological work. Finally, our interpretation of the general conception of each theory is presented and used to discuss with the specialized literature. The conclusions show that, with an integrating approach, Bourdieu intends to dismantle what he calls false oppositions between the tensions, while Luhmann proposes a systemic look in which the principle of difference prevails, suggesting a dualist conception. Lastly, we explore and evaluate the usefulness of the introduced categories as conceptual tools to analyze the internal coherence of the theories.