Understanding the publishing field : the contributions of Bourdieu

Abstract

In this dissertation I call into question the way the concept of ‘field’ is treated in neo-institutional research by readdressing Pierre Bourdieu’s elaboration of field. I discuss Bourdieu’s framework which includes three concepts: field, capital and habitus. While Bourdieu’s work has been widely incorporated into extant research, there have been few attempts to employ his concepts as a ‘theoretical triad’ for empirical analysis. I explore how Bourdieu’s approach enriches understandings of field through an analysis of book publishing with primary reference to Scotland. I contribute to the current literature on fields by examining book publishing as a social space, structured by the distribution of capital and moderated by habitus, that operates within the confines of internally defined boundaries. The dissertation illustrates how Bourdieu’s elaboration of field addresses issues of struggle, power and micro-dynamics that are underexplored within the field perspective of neo-institutional theory. I argue that Bourdieu’s framework of field, capital and habitus is useful because it brings simultaneous attention to processes of stability in social interaction and to conflict and difference.